Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers sent down Rick Porcello to Triple-A on Sunday and are hoping to get the same results from this move that they got from sending down Max Scherzer earlier in the year.

Earlier this year, the Tigers sent down Scherzer and his 7.29 ERA and 5.6 K’s/9 to Triple-A. Since Scherzer has returned, the 25-year-old righty has a 3.48 ERA and has struck out 11.9 batters per nine IP. That is impressive.

Those are the results the Tigers are hoping to get from Porcello.

The National League came to town and all was good again.

The Tigers should pull a Milwaukee Brewers and lobby for a move to the NL. The American League can have the Brewers back, as a matter of fact.

Split personality disorder.

It's the only explanation for the Detroit Tigers in the Jim Leyland era. 

Each year it's the same story. First half of the season, Detroit is a consistent and winning ball club. The second half, a below .500 team struggling to hang on to what they built up to the All Star break.

If it happens one year, maybe unbalanced scheduling can be used as an excuse. If it happens another year, maybe injuries can be used. But for four straight years, not much else can be said.

The Detroit Tigers look to keep their winning streak alive in interleague play against ex-Tiger pitcher Dontrelle Willis tonight.

So far, the Tigers have a perfect record against the National League, sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Washington Nationals in consecutive three-game series'.

Nonetheless, the Tigers should expect a tough night of work, considering D-Train will want to prove that he still has a capacity to contribute quality pitching outings.

Tigers' fans know this probably won't last forever.

However, Brennan Boesch has continued his hot streak much longer than anyone could have expected when he was called up from Toledo on April 24th.

Prior to Wednesday night's game with the Nationals, Boesch had hit eight home runs  on top of driving in 30 runs.

If Boesch had enough at-bats, he would rank fifth in the AL in batting average at .338, third in slugging percentage at .611, and fifth in OPS at .994.

He is doing it the old school way.  His hitting philosophy can be summed up in four words.

Last Week: 4-2
This Week: WAS (6/15-17); ARI (6/18-20)

So what happened?

You gotta love those Pittsburgh Pirates—Helping Teams Get Well Since 1993.

The Tigers were wheezing and gasping, having lost 12 of 18 after dropping two of three to the White Sox in Chicago.

Enter the Pirates...

The Pirates, who haven’t had a winning season since the ORIGINAL George Bush administration, came to town and all was good again in Bengal Land.

Forget Copperfield, Henning and Houdini.

Don’t come at me with Penn and Teller or Blackstone or even Mandrake.

The Tigers are trying to outdo all those cats.

They’re trying to win the AL Central with one-third of their batting order tied behind their backs.

Who needs nine hitters? The Tigers are trying to prove that you can win a division with only six.

The Tigers’ lineup is two-thirds thunder, one-third summer breeze.

A serious Triple Crown candidate is emerging in Detroit.

Miguel Cabrera's 18 homers and 53 runs batted in pace the American League and he ranks fourth in batting average (.339).

I know precisely what you're thinking. It's the second week of June.

How dare you utter "Triple Crown"!

Well, let's look at it this way—with each mention of the feat, writers offer a refresher course in history.

Who was the last player to earn the Triple Crown?

Carl Yastrzemski.

When was this feat last achieved?

The Tigers head into this 2010 season with championship aspirations and a talented roster, but they have also relied heavily on the support of a few Tigers.

The club has recently floundered offensively, allowing more runs than they have scored. Most recently, the Tigers were shut out by the subpar Chicago White Sox.

In terms of pitching, the only bright spot has been the Tiger bullpen.

Major League Baseball umpire Jim Joyce’s blown call on a play at first cost Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game. Joyce’s mistake, for which he apologized, opened the floodgates on the debate of expanding instant replay in MLB. Was it an honest mistake, or all part of an intricate conspiracy plotted by MLB? And, will these events lead to more instant replay in baseball?

“Honest mistake?” Baseball umpires don’t make those; baseball players do, in front of Congress.