Ok........

[racosun]

...now that the first week is out of the way, what is your current opinion on the Tigers 2006 team and it's playoff hopes?

The fast start got many of us overhyped, and we began spouting things off that shouldn't be said (like mentioning Chris Shelton in MVP voting, etc.). Now it's time to re-evaluate and be more realistic. The White Sox are still top dogs, getting the clutch hits when it matters most, and Cleveland has already proved that they're definetely to reckon with, having an even better start than Detroit. Shelton has fallen back to Earth somewhat, as we all knew he would. Two losses in a row really take the wind out of the sails of a 5-0 start, just like Cleveland's 6 wins in a row put the wind back into the sails after losing to Chi-town in Opening Night. It's obvious these two teams are going to give us some major battles and headaches all season long. How do we realistically fare?

[Captain Cold Nose]

...now that the first week is out of the way, what is your current opinion on the Tigers 2006 team and it's playoff hopes?

The fast start got many of us overhyped, and we began spouting things off that shouldn't be said (like mentioning Chris Shelton in MVP voting, etc.). Now it's time to re-evaluate and be more realistic. The White Sox are still top dogs, getting the clutch hits when it matters most, and Cleveland has already proved that they're definetely to reckon with, having an even better start than Detroit. Shelton has fallen back to Earth somewhat, as we all knew he would. Two losses in a row really take the wind out of the sails of a 5-0 start, just like Cleveland's 6 wins in a row put the wind back into the sails after losing to Chi-town in Opening Night. It's obvious these two teams are going to give us some major battles and headaches all season long. How do we realistically fare?

I think .500 is realistic. I don't see much more than that, since the division is very strong in general. The Tigers don't have the established players the Indians or Chisox have, and the Twins pitching is strong enough where nothing this team does can be taken for granted over the long haul. But the right pieces are in place for a better season than last year.

[efin98]

They will still contend. 85-90 wins is plausible, as is the Wild Card. They need to claw out big wins as well as exploiting the bad teams.

In reality, just finishing above .500 is an accomplishment. Anything over that is just icing on the cake...

[Andy1134]

Out of all honesty. 5-10 games above .500. That was my original prediction.

I'm very dissapointed with how they're responding to this losing streak though. h

They almost had it today.

We'll try again tomorrow.

[BaseballGalaxy]

Out of all honesty. 5-10 games above .500. That was my original prediction.

I'm very dissapointed with how they're responding to this losing streak though. h

They almost had it today.

We'll try again tomorrow.

Im very anxious to see if they can get things going again tomorrow.

[racosun]

We've got Verlander matching up with Jon Garland tommorrow. Hopefully Justin can step up and get the ship back on course. Garland is a tough draw, though, so a sweep wouldn't surprise me. The Tigers should be pretty steamed at themselves right about now, as Pudge and Shelton are the ONLY ones who are contributing early on. Pudge will wear down as the season goes along, after all he's an aging catcher with a lot of weight on his shoulders. Shelton won't keep up his long-ball ways all year long, at least not without some help in the lineup. Players like Magglio and Da Meat Hook and Polanco need to pitch in. Leyland has been patient with his starters so far, allowing them the opportunity to get out of jams. It hasn't worked yet. It was clear when Rogers and Bonderman ran out of gas in their last starts, and someone should have been brought in to relieve them. Kenny is smart enough to not get angry about an early hook if he doesn't have it that day, he's a team player. I'd like to see more innings out of Zumaya, start molding that raw talent he has into something MLB-calibur. He's just itching to surprise us all. Same for Jordan Tata. Todd Jones is due back in a week, so we need to find a few more innings for Tata before he heads back down. It'll feed the hunger to get back to the big club, and he'll have a huge year in the minors before a September call-up. Anyways.....rant over.

[Andy1134]

Im very anxious to see if they can get things going again tomorrow.

Another dissapointment today.h

The sad thing is that we actually out-hit the Sox 21-17.

Offense was not the concern today. It was the defense. If the Tigers could get the offense like they did today, they would have had a better chance to have a much better series with this team.

[tigers527]

whos who in the central.

Now, after having watched the WhiteSox beat up the Tigers. Maybe I will have to rethink this. But I feel the only team the Tigers will have a very difficult time with is Cleveland. I just cant for the life of me think that Chicago is going to repeat. I mean the holes they have are still there, not enough RBIs in the outfield, bullpen questions. I just also cant believe that the Sox are going to go 23-5 or the like in 1 run games again. Although, who knows, but I think its the Indians division to lose. The Tigers can end up anywhere from 2nd through 4th. With some luck and maybe catching lightning in a bottle with Veerlander or Zamaia (spelling?). I mean jeeze whens the last time we had a stud rookie picture? the bird....thats just not fair. :gt

[Paulmcall]

I think it's pretty clear this team can score runs. Now, it's up to the pitching staff to decide where they finish. I think .500 is not out of the question. If a few pitchers get hot and the bullpen holds up, they could contend for a playoff spot.
That's a helleva big IF but you never know.

[Andy1134]

It seems to me that it's either one or the other...

It's either, we can score and our pitching is lousy, or our pitching is phenominal and we can't hit worth a lick.

It seems like it's one or the other thus far.