Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers continue to perform below expectations in 2012—they will undoubtedly become buyers at the MLB trade deadline. 

Sure, Justin Verlander put some life back in the clubhouse with his near no-hitter recently, but the team has to prove that they can ride that lightning. 

The Tigers were forecasted to be major contenders before the season began, but inconsistent play has begun to put serious doubt in the team's faithful fans. 

The Tigers came out of spring training in Lakeland confident of their hitting. Their lineup was rich with veteran bats and some young ones. The offense didn’t figure to be a problem.

But oh, what about that pitching!

The Tigers are 17-18, so it's time for the armchair-general managers to come out of the floorboards and call for the heads of Jim Leyland, Lloyd McClendon, David Dombrowski–-you name it.

Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder and Jose Valverde account for $73 million of the Tigers' payroll this year.

And nearly thirty games in, General Manager David Dombrowski might well be asking himself if the Tigers are seeing the type of returns expected from such a large investment.

The Detroit Tigers have one of the best prospects in all of baseball in pitcher Jacob Turner, but now is the time that the organization needs to trade the budding star. 

The Tigers came into the 2012 season with the highest of all expectations. After winning the AL Central in 2011 and signing slugger Prince Fielder in the offseason, there's only one thing left to accomplish in 2012—winning the World Series. 

There is not a better immediate feeling than whacking a walk-off home run before a full house at your home ballpark.

There is not a worse feeling than pitching a gem of a ballgame, only to watch your hard work sail over the right center field wall.

Such is the beauty and cruelty of baseball, as it were on full display at Comerica Park in Detroit on Friday night.

April behind them, the Detroit Tigers kicked off the month of May with a much-needed homestand victory. Jim Leyland and crew defeated the Kansas City Royals 9-3 at Comerica Park following Monday's rain out, which shortened the series to two games.

By the end of this weekend, the baseball world will be swimming in highlights from 20-year-old Mike Trout’s call up in Cleveland and 19-year-old Bryce Harper’s debut in Los Angeles.

Come Monday morning, fans will drag their bodies back to work, talking about these two future All-Stars over hot coffee and cubicles.

Two Detroit sports underdogs peeled off their uniforms for the last time as members of their respective teams, and they both did it on Thursday.

While that’s not where the similarities end, the endings couldn’t have been more different. The only thing the cessations of their careers have in common is that they happened within hours of each other.

Earlier today, Buster Olney reported that Miguel Cabrera has a small fracture under his right eye and might be out a week or two.