Kuzul

The Detroit Tigers went into this spring with the intention of filling their missing rotation spot with one of a handful of young, internal candidates.However, none of the internal candidates separated themselves from the rest, and in fact four of these candidates flamed out and are no longer in the running.The two remaining candidates, Duane Below and Drew Smyly, also have knocks against them.Below has struggled with his control, and in his most recent appearance was wilder than a coed on spring break.Smyly has looked solid and, most importantly, has thrown a lot of strikes (65 of his 88 pitches). But he only has four appearances, which is only one more than some of the other candidates who have been out of the running for weeks.So, with less than a week left before the team heads north, the Tigers are in a precarious position.On the one hand, they probably need ...

If you are like me, you have been eagerly following the Detroit Tigers' search for their fifth starter.This is the fourth in my series.The Plot ThickensHeading into this spring, it seemed as though the Tigers had some strong internal candidates for the job.They had the young phenom in Jacob Turner.They had the fireballing lefty in Casey Crosby.They had the enigmatic, yet talented Andy Oliver.And they had three relatively unknown soft-tossing lefties in Drew Smyly, Duane Below and Adam Wilk.At first, it seemed like this would be a very hard decision, but for all the right reasons. All six candidates started out strongly.But one by one, they fell by the wayside.First, Turner flamed out and, thanks to nagging injuries, was sent to Triple A camp.Next, Crosby got a case of the wilds, and was likewise shipped.And just as it appeared that Oliver had separated himself from the rest, he came crashing ...

Each year we see it.The fringe players that we are rooting for, and are optimistic to see break out, start to become weeded out and dropped from team consideration.In the movie "Major League", this moment is captured by red tags that signify that the manager wants to see them, to tell them that they will not make the club.Sometimes this move is economics, sometimes it is luck, and sometimes it's just a numbers game.This year is no different.Here are the three Tigers that are in danger of not making this team.Begin Slideshow

First off, this article will not be focusing on Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder, and Justin Verlander.Those three are superstars, and there is no reasonable reason to believe that all of the above will not perform at their usual spectacular level.Obviously there is always the threat of injuries, but barring that threat, those three will likely be near the top of all of baseball at their positions.No, this article is about the other guys. The players who have shown glimpses of promise, but do not have a track record that makes their level of performance a given this year.Obviously we can all be wishful thinkers, but is there a good reason why some players are poised to break out this year?Here are five Tigers players that must get off to a fast start in order for Detroit to reach their goal of a World Series victory.Begin Slideshow

Something struck me this morning.I was taking a look at the American League standings and I realized that the New York Yankees were rained out last night against the Boston Red Sox.Now that doesn't seem like a big deal, but it got me thinking about how interesting it is that New York is ending their season by playing a very tough schedule that includes Tampa Bay and Boston.Basically, this means that the Yankees have been playing meaningful games for quite a while.Next, take a look at the Tigers' schedule. Over the last month, they have been dominant. But they have been dominant against sub-par opponents.While Boston, New York, Tampa and Texas have been battling rivals, playoff-caliber teams and the weather, the Tigers have been beating up on teams that will be watching the postseason from their couches.Now, I know the argument. The Tigers shouldn't be penalized for winning against teams ...