State of the Tigers After June 8th!

The 2009 Detroit Tigers have been one of the most inconsistent ball clubs in the majors this year. They have had some performances in which they look like they could contend for the World Series in October. While other times the Tigers look like they could go on a skid and fall out of the race in the American League (AL) Central.

Let's start with the good, then we will go to the bad, and finally we'll finish with the ugly.

The good-- the pitching staff. They have carried the club so far this season with an ERA as a team of 3.98 which ranks them second in the AL to the Seattle Mariners. They would not be in first place in the AL central at 31-26 without the staff. Let's look at Edwin Jackson and Justin Verlander first. They are most likely the only Detroit Tigers representatives at this time that would make the 2009 All-Star Game in St.Louis, MO.

Verlander and Jackson both had excellent pitching performances in the month of May. Verlander has put together eight consecutive quality starts. A quality start is when a starting pitcher pitches at least six innings of work while giving up less than three earned runs in a game. No small feat in Major League Baseball (MLB) especially for eight consecutive starts spanning over three months. During the month of May, Verlander went 5-0 with 1.52 ERA and notched 56 strikeouts in six starts. That month has helped place Verlander currently first overall in strikeouts at 97 in the AL. Verlander is 6-2 with a 3.52 ERA this season.

As for Jackson he currently ranks second in the AL in ERA at 2.16 only trailing Kansas City Royals pitcher Zach Greinke. Jackson leads the Tigers in innings pitched at 83.1 which ranks him fifth in the AL in that category. Jackson has compiled nine quality starts in 12 games started this season. Jackson is coming off of his second career complete game and first as a Tiger this past Saturday against the Los Angeles Angels. It's safe to say Jackson has made GM Dave Dombrowski a very happy man for acquiring him in an deal during the offseason from the Tampa Bay Rays for outfielder Matt Joyce. If you want to know the winner of the trade--the numbers don't lie. Joyce is batting .207 with three home runs and six runs batted in with 29 at bats this season with the Rays.

When talking about the Tigers pitching staff you can't forget about 20-year old rookie phenom Rick Porcello who has been lights out so far this season as a first year player. The bullpen has also been very productive with Fernando Rodney taking control of the closer's role this season and converting on all 11 of his save opportunities. Joel Zumaya and Ryan Perry have been quite effective in the setup relief duties over the past two months as well. Although Ryan Perry got sent down to Triple-A Toledo before tonight's game against the Chicago White Sox to make room for pitcher Jeremy Bonderman on the roster. With that said expect to see a lot more of Brandon Lyon in late game situations for the Tigers. As a result you may want to go to your local pharmaceutical store as soon as possible to get some high blood pressure medication!

The bad-- the offense. It's been atrocious at times, just mediocre in some, and better than average in a variety of contests especially during day games where the Tigers are 16-5 this season. Brandon Inge currently leads the team in runs batted in at 39. Inge has had a great season but with all due respect to him--when Inge is leading the team in that category you have a problem. Curtis Granderson and Miguel Cabrera have had very good seasons thus far as well. It's guys like Magglio Ordonez, Placido Polanco, Marcus Thames, and Carlos Guillen who have all struggled and need to step up the production for the summer run.

Ordonez is starting to raise his average which stands at .284 currently. The disappointment comes when you look at his power numbers. Two home runs and 21 runs batted in. Two years ago Ordonez put up a monster year of 28 home runs with 139 rbi's while batting .363. Currently Ordonez is on pace to hit six home runs and drive in 65 runs. For a guy who is set to make nearly 19 million during the 2009 season those statistics would be abysmal.

As for Polanco he is a career .300 hitter but not looking anywhere close to it during the 2009 season. He is batting .249 right now and has been below .300 since April 15. Over the past six weeks his average has consistently dropped as each week has gone by.

With Thames and Guillen they have both been hampered by injuries. Thames is back in the lineup and he must produce immediately especially with the long ball. The Tigers rank 9th in the AL in home runs with 56. As for Guillen he has had an injury plagued career at times. The only position it seems that he can play now is DH (one where it doesn't involve him going out in the field). It's a sad reality but it's absolutely true. There is no timetable set for Guillen's return to the Tigers lineup, but Tiger's fans can only hope it's sooner than later.

The ugly--inconsistency as a team. Like I said before it's just been an up and down season of sorts for the Detroit Tigers. Just when you think they have turned the corner as a team they start to fall back and let the rest of the AL Central back into the race. They currently lead the Minnesota Twins by 3.5 games in the Central Division.

The more telling stat is that the Tigers are currently ranked in fourth place in the AL standings as a whole trailing the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Texas Rangers. Sure it's early in the season but this team has high expectations to fill and if they can somehow maintain a level of consistently playing good baseball for a long stretch their is no reason why they can't be in first place overall in the AL come August.

Jim Leyland is in the last year of his contract as Tigers manager and the Tigers need to play like a desperate team because you never know how many opportunities you will have as a franchise to play in the World Series. They may have to acquire some pieces to get there such as an Adam Dunn or Matt Holliday who could both be on the trading block come July. Although with the pitching they have picked up so far this season, if the offense could due their part their is no way in telling how far the Tigers could go come October.

If you want to take a closer look at some individuals who have performed good, bad, or ugly. Look for a new column coming out in the next few days!