Cautious Optimism

Just after the break in the 2007 season, I have guarded optimism about the fate of the Tigers. They currently cling to a half-game lead in the A.L. Central, after losing last night to the Seattle Mariners, who are playing well are in the thick of both the A.L. West race and the Wild Card. It's important to remember this, because the Tigers don't have much of a net if they let the Indians slip by them to take the division, because plenty of teams (including the Yankees) are ripe for a Wild Card bid.

After another one of those horrible blown leads by the bullpen last Tuesday night against Cleveland, the Tigers ripped off five wins in a row, including two against the Indians and then a sweep of the Red Sox, who had the best record in all of baseball. The bullpen remains the big question mark, and there's probably about a half-dozen games they should have won if they had an effective relief corps. Lately, though, it's settled down some. A pickup from Milwaukee, Jose Cappellan, is working out pretty well. I don't know what the timetable is on the return of Joel Zumaya, but realistically, nothing can be expected from his this year, and if he does come back and is true to form that will be a huge plus.

I'm sure the Tigers are not done looking for more relief pitchers before the trading deadline. Meanwhile, the big bats in the lineup are churning out hits and they're getting great work from the starting pitching. It should be a doozy of a race right down the to the end.