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If the Detroit Tigers (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/det/) have any remaining doubters, they could be silenced with a strong showing this weekend.
The Tigers seek to extend their division lead over the defending World Series champions when they open a three-game set with the Chicago White Sox (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/chw/) at U.S. Cellular Field on Friday.
Detroit (76-38) enters this game with the best record in the major leagues and an 8 1/2 -game lead over the White Sox (67-46) in the AL Central. However, the Tigers just concluded a six-game homestand with their first series loss since July 3-5 at Oakland, dropping two of three games to division rival Minnesota. "We put ourselves in a position to make a run at something, but we've done nothing yet," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said after his team totaled just four hits in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Twins. "If we take the attitude that we're home free, we won't get home. The beauty of the pennant race is to be the best, you have to beat the best."

Although the Tigers have held sole possession of the division lead since May 21, they have lost six of nine this season to the White Sox.

The division rivals will play two more series against each other -- Aug. 21-24 at Comerica Park and Sept. 18-20 in Chicago -- and those contests may determine if the White Sox can contend for a second straight AL Central crown.
"It's do or die every time we play against them if you want to continue to fight for the (division)," Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen said. "If we get swept by them, then we've got to think about a different direction."
Justin Verlander (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7590/) (14-4, 2.70 ERA) hasn't pitched since Aug. 1, but looks to become the majors' first 15-game winner and win his eighth straight decision when he takes the mound for Detroit in the series opener. Leyland decided to skip the 23-year-old rookie right-hander's last scheduled starts in order to rest his tired arm.
"All year, they've been talking about doing something and I think this is a great place to do it," said Verlander, whose 135 1-3 innings pitched are five more than he threw in all of 2005, mostly in the minors. "Better to do it now than in September."
Verlander will seek better results against the White Sox this time. He is 0-2 with an 11.42 ERA in two starts versus Chicago, allowing 11 runs and 14 hits -- including four homers -- in just 8 2-3 innings.
Verlander's last loss came at U.S. Cellular Field on June 7, when he gave up four runs in six innings of a 4-3 defeat. He is 7-0 with a 2.04 ERA in nine outings since that contest.
The White Sox counter with Jose Contreras (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7043/) (10-4, 3.75), who will try to avoid his fifth loss in six starts since the All-Star break after opening the season 9-0. Contreras tied a season-high by allowing six runs in 6 2-3 innings of Sunday's 7-3 loss at Toronto.
The right-hander has already faced the Tigers three times this season, going 2-1 with a 2.05 ERA in those outings including the June 7 victory over Verlander. He is 7-3 with a 3.30 ERA in 14 career starts versus Detroit.
Contreras has dominated Tigers designated hitter Dmitri Young (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5699/), who is 2-for-22 (.091) with a homer and eight strikeouts against the right-hander.
The White Sox defeated the AL East-leading New York Yankees (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/nyy/) 5-4 on Thursday, taking two out of three games in a series where each contest was decided by one run. It was the first home series win for Chicago since taking three of four from Baltimore July 3-6.
"We have (10) games against the Tigers," said Javier Vazquez (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5947/), who earned his 100th career win. "I know they're playing great, but we can't concentrate on them. We know that if we play good baseball from here on, we might have a chance."



I'm curious to see how verlander will react after missing a start

most frustrating brand of baseball to watch, and why pudge is definitly NOT my tiger. take a f-u-c-k-i-n-g pitch! its why im a yankee fan. they might not make get a hit, but each one of them will take a million pitches before they ground out. thats a winning formula for consistent winning. swinging at the first pitch is like jacking up an early three.

ps. i usually dont get upset over the tigers. im just enjoying the season. its just i was psyched for this game, and they didnt show up.

Which is why they haven't won anything in 6 years?

6?

Five and a half. MY BAD!

Diddy, all the right handed hitters were hacking away at the first pitch not just Puge. They might as well have too, that was all they were going to get to hit.
We got bitch owned tonight. Gotta win tomarrow.

question from a casual baseball fan: the announcers eluded to the White Sox possibly "picking up" on Verlander's motions to let them know what pitches were coming. how likely is it that something like that can happen?

question from a casual baseball fan: the announcers eluded to the White Sox possibly "picking up" on Verlander's motions to let them know what pitches were coming. how likely is it that something like that can happen?

Not bloody likely. But I didn't watch the game, so I don't know.

question from a casual baseball fan: the announcers eluded to the White Sox possibly "picking up" on Verlander's motions to let them know what pitches were coming. how likely is it that something like that can happen?

Dont know how likely it is. But then again, the white sox are one of the smartest hitting teams in baseball. It could have been anything. Arm speed, arm angel, just little things they pick up on that allow them to guess whats coming.

Diddy, all the right handed hitters were hacking away at the first pitch not just Puge. They might as well have too, that was all they were going to get to hit.
We got bitch owned tonight. Gotta win tomarrow.

right. but when conteras got out #27, he was on pitch ~100.

how many outs came after one or two pitches? at this time in the season, no one wants to pitch deep into a game. if some of our hitters showed any patience tonight, conteras probably leaves after 7, and we atleast get a chance against there bullpen.

and this is nothing new for pudge. polanco is the same way. its why i dont think either one is irreplaceable. if they hit 20 points lower, but would actually work the count, both would be way more valuable.

btw, think about that. i think his final pitch count was 101. he allowed three hits and one walk. thats 31 batters taking 101 pitches. thats ~3.25 pitches/at bat. thats rediculous.

but like i said, its all good with the tigers for me. i just hope dombrowski addresses this in the offseason. this team is definitly not a 'moneyball' team.

Carlos Guillen is a fucking clown.

As well as Brandon Inge.

Kenny Rogers could have been gunning for CG SO.

This one fucking pissed me off. No reason why we should have lost that game. Fuck.

The White Sox had no Earned Runs today and they still won. That's fucking pathetic.

And if Inge had any chance of winning a Gold Glove this season, he just threw it away.

I'm still fucking pissed. Rogers threw a shutout and he still got the fucking loss because of stupid plays. I hope Leyland ripped them a new asshole. No matter how much he down plays it to the media, he knows these are still big games. You cant make stupid plays like that agains the world champs. You give these guys any extra outs, and your dead. They fucked us.

these tigers dont seem mentally tough to me. probably not a surprise, as this franchise has been the worst franchise in sports for 20 years. i hope they figure this out. the white sox talk to the media how they like to play the tigers cuz its easy for them, and right now, theyre right. tomorrow isnt a must win, but its a huge game.

Sad thing is, we won this game. Really, any other day, Guillen and Inge make those plays. Rogers threw a shut out. Stupid mental mistakes cost us the game. That pisses me off.

these tigers dont seem mentally tough to me. probably not a surprise, as this franchise has been the worst franchise in sports for 20 years. i hope they figure this out. the white sox talk to the media how they like to play the tigers cuz its easy for them, and right now, theyre right. tomorrow isnt a must win, but its a huge game.

Yeah, this team is pretty weak mentally.

Whenever their down late in games, they tend to throw in the towel and quit.

Not really, there have been a ton of come from behind in the late innings this year.

162 games. Everyone goes though stretches like this. Jim Leyland wont let it get too out of hand.

these tigers dont seem mentally tough to me. probably not a surprise, as this franchise has been the worst franchise in sports for 20 years. i hope they figure this out. the white sox talk to the media how they like to play the tigers cuz its easy for them, and right now, theyre right. tomorrow isnt a must win, but its a huge game.

Yeah, this team is pretty weak mentally.

Whenever their down late in games, they tend to throw in the towel and quit.

good point. but i still think im kind of right. chicago has owned us this year, and how do we respond to this huge series? friday we get mowed down like a AAA club, and saturday we cant field at all. we'll see what happens today. its pretty likely that we're back in the wildcard race after this stretch. that will show alot about the tiger mentality.

Not really, there have been a ton of come from behind in the late innings this year.

162 games. Everyone goes though stretches like this. Jim Leyland wont let it get too out of hand.


Sarcasm, mang!

Green font dude.

I wish the Home Plate Ump would make up his mind on whats a strike and whats not. Inconsistent all day.

Horrible fucking series.

We desperately needed to avoid a sweep and we failed. If it wasn't for the cushion we built the past few weeks, we would be looking at the Wild Card right now instead of being up 5 1/2 games.

And given our upcoming schedule (RedSox, Rangers, WhiteSox, Indians, Yankees and Angels), we could be in real trouble if we don't figure out things and stop this skid ASAP.

Pudge is 2-for-26 since he hit the walkoff HR vs. Cleveland.

~Cue the Phil Garner "truth is, we're in a rotten-ass slump" soundbyte.~

Also, the home plate ump from Sunday's game should be shot. He was pathetic.

Guillen should have let Puge go.
I sware, in one of Casey's ABs, he took the same two exact pitches in the same exact location. One was called a ball the other was called a strike. WTF

I don't really know how much blame you can put on the home plate umpire.

I am not denying that the White Sox pitchers got some favorable calls but they were throwing strikes all day and getting the Tigers to swing at everything, so the ump gave them favorable calls on some close pitches. But Miner, on the other hand, didn't throw strikes and was behind almost every hitter he faced....so he didn't get those same calls on the borderline pitches.

oh I know, I'm not putting the loss on the ump. I'm just saying some consistency would have been nice.