We have all kinds of material previewing the Twins/Tigers series, so be sure to check these links. Meanwhile, this recurring list of things to know about the Tigers is getting shorter, along with their AL Central lead:

1) Detroit’s home/road success mirrors the Twins’. The Tigers are 48-26 at home and 30-42 on the road. That’s why it’s so important for the Twins to take advantage this weekend. I don’t believe they need a sweep to stay alive, but they do need to win the series.

2) The Tigers rank 11th in the American League in runs scored, at 4.6 per game. The Twins rank sixth at 4.9. So the Tigers haven’t scored like the Twins, and suddenly their rotation is riddled with questions, too. Rick Porcello, who pitches tonight, has been their hottest starter, and Saturday’s starter Justin Verlander remains a force. But after that, the Tigers are rolling the dice. Consider:

a) Jarrod Washburn was 4-1 with a 1.44 ERA in July, earning AL pitcher of the month honors for Seattle. When Detroit traded for him, it seemed like a real slap in the face for the Twins. But Washburn is 1-3 with a 7.33 ERA for the Tigers and has allowed 12 homers in 43 innings. Clearly, Washburn hasn’t been healthy. He was scratched from Sunday’s start and is out indefinitely. In his place is fellow lefty Nate Robertson.

b) The Tigers had just scrapped an experiment of re-inserting Robertson into the rotation after pelvic inflammation caused him to leave a start after 3 2/3 innings. At the time, Manager Jim Leyland said he was putting Eddie Bonine in the rotation just to eliminate the uncertainty of Robertson’s availability. Now, the Tigers are moving forward with both of them. They could skip Bonine on Monday, but that is their final open date of the season.

c) Edwin Jackson was a first-half revelation, going 7-4 with a 2.52 ERA and making the All-Star team. But he is 2-2 with a 6.03 ERA in his past five starts and appears to be hitting the wall. Right now, he is to the Tigers what Nick Blackburn is to the Twins. Jackson took the loss Thursday, as the Royals pounded the Tigers 9-2. Afterward, Leyland sounded concerned, telling the Detroit Free Press, “Seems like he’s pitched quite a few games without all his ammunition. He really hasn’t had his breaking stuff on any consistent basis for quite a while.”

3) The Tigers have committed just one error in their past 15 games. Shortstop Adam Everett has helped solidify their defense. Twins fans might roll their eyes at that, but his right shoulder was killing him last season, so he never got to show them the player he was for Houston. “He’s been a real special player for us,” Leyland told the Detroit News this week.

4) The above links point to the success some of the Twins have had against the Tigers, but there’s another side to that. Placido Polanco is a .324 career hitter against the Twins, and Carlos Guillen .310. Then there’s Magglio Ordonez, who has played 162 career games against the Twins — the equivalent of a full season — and has batted .326 with 35 HR and 128 RBI. You say, “Well he’s not a power hitter anymore.” But tell that to Francisco Liriano, who gave up a three-run shot to Ordonez on July 4, turning a 2-0, seventh-inning lead into a 3-2 deficit.

Note: Should be an exciting weekend. Check back here this afternoon for tonight’s starting lineups and other tidbits.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 18th, 2009 at 9:55 am and is filed under Around MLB, Twins thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.