Series Roundup: Mariners

The Tigers finished their 3 game trip to the land of rain and lattes pretty successfully, taking 2 games away from the reinvigorated and AL West-leading M's. The Tigers roster is really starting to round out and they should be in contention for the AL Central all year. Ramon Santiago has been the surprise of the year for the Tigers with 11 RBI, good for second best on the team behind Miggy. Santiago played every game in the Seattle series because Everett was out with the flu (hey Everett, you pussy, Edwin played fine with the flu) and now there are rumblings that Ramon has earned himself extra playing time, perhaps even taking over the majority of the timeshare. Everett is as solid as they come defensively at short, but he can't hit for shit, and Ramon is no slouch defensively as well - so I say bring on the dude batting .320 with 11 RBI and 1 HR. In addition, Ramon fits better into Leyland's new found aggressive/speed approach (11 SB across all levels in '07). Leyland is running his players much more than normal and I love it. The aggressiveness on the base paths is manufacturing more runs... plus I get to see Miggy stealing bases and suicide squeezes, which provides me with much entertainment. The shocked reaction from Pierzynski when Miggy took off for second from first brings a smile to my face even now days later. Who knew the big man could move?

Take out one bad inning and the Tigers may have even swept the M's in their own ballpark.

Let's try to focus on the (many) positives from this series though:

• Although Verlander's stat line may not look all that great in the end (7.1 IP 8 H 5 ER 1 BB), it is very reassuring to see him strike out eight while walking only one. Based off his last two starts, it looks like he is very, very close to taking a step forward from his '07 campaign and becoming the guy whose talent dictates him being a top-10 pitcher in the AL.

• Edwin Jackson might actually be for real? After Saturday's start he is the owner of a brand-spanking-new ERA of 2.14 and a 13:5 K:BB ratio. If only Brandon Lyon wasn't a bum, Edwin would have two wins early in this season instead of one. And what is the player we gave up for Edwin up to? He's in AAA. I'm not by any means saying that Joyce is, or will be, a bust... but Dombrowski is looking pretty good right now.
  

• Porcello looked downright dominant against the M's on Sunday. Dominant. Even as the youngest hurler on an already young staff at 20 (Verlander 26, Bondo 26, Jackson 25, Galarraga 27) he has shown a lot of poise and does not seem overwhelmed by the major leagues at all. The question is whether Bondo can come back completely healthy and effective and then whether this young pitching staff can keep its roll going. If so, then a perceived offseason weakness for the Tigers might actually end up being a strength.

• The continuing success of Binge has me utterly befuddled. Peter Gammons was on Baseball Tonight early in the season discussing how Binge was a much better player offensively when he didn't have to worry about catching since it took such a physical toll on his body. At the time I just sort of laughed it off, but maybe he was onto something. There is no way he can sustain his current .289 BA and there will undoubtedly be some regression to the mean for this career .237 hitter, but enjoy it while your bat is hot Binge.

• No more Zach Miner starts! Thank you Jeebus, Allah, The Flying Spaghetti Monster and any other deity I may have forgotten.
  

The upcoming series with the surprisingly bad Angels should be interesting just because the Halos are incredibly dinged up with Vlad, Kelvim Escobar, Ervin Santana, John Lackey and Dustin Moseley all on the DL (plus the passing of Adenhart, obviously). It's like an entire team of Chris Carpenters. With scheduled starts against Jered Weaver (who looks eerily similar to one-time favored son of the Tigers and brother, Jeff), flyball specialist Joe Saunders and some other dude, Miggy and crew have the potential to put a massive hurting on the Halos.

The Tigers are currently in a 3-way tie with the White Sox and Royals for the AL Central lead and I pretty much see the Central being extremely tight all year. The White Sox will likely fall off the pace, but I feel that this division will be the most competitive in baseball this year (with the possible exception of the Fish, Braves, Phillies and Mets battling all year in the NL East).

If I put the over/under on Greinke winning a Cy Young at 2.5 years (including this year), would anyone want to take the over? This guy is looking like a certified baller.