Wezzul.com - It's the Dinglez

Since nothing has been going on in Detroit sports other than the continue success of the Detroit Tigers, I will keep this post strictly to what has been happening in their season.

The Tigers had continued success this weekend, defeating the Chicago Cubs in three straight games to take their current win streak to four, and put them up 1.5 games in the AL Central, and also giving them the best record in the MLB again. Not only that, the Tigers led for every inning of all three games, scoring a minimum of two runs in the first inning of each game, and topping out with a six run, three homerun first inning on Sunday, facing Mark Prior in his first start of the year. Six players hit homeruns, with a total of eight round-trippers in nine innings (Chris Shelton and Brandon Inge each hit two; Marcus Thames, Curtis Granderson, Vance Wilson, and Carlos Guillen each had one). Not only that, but Sunday's game marked the 200th victory of Kenny Rogers' storied career. When Rogers was signed this season, I was skeptical that he would be another high-priced free agent signing by the Tigers that didn't pan out (see: Troy Percival). However, he has proven he is still a more than capabale starter, becoming only the second pitcher this year to win ten games (Tom Glavine of the New York Mets being the other). As it stands right now, he is a shoe-in for a spot on the American League All-Star team, and his contributions to the team, both with his pitching, and his ability to teach young players, is worth every penny the Tigers have paid for him.

Unfortunately, the same can not be said of Dmitri Young. As of last week, Young had a warrant out for his arrest after missing a court date in the alleged choking of his ex-girlfriend. With Dmitri standing to make $8M this year with the Tigers, he could not be considered more of a waste of money. He has been out for two months, and when he was playing, he was batting near .160. For a guy that can really only conceivably play DH, this is unacceptable. Luckily for the Tigers, Marcus Thames has been a more than ample replacement. Not only is he hitting over .300, but he has 14 home runs in very limited starting time this year. Dmitri Young is not only a detriment to the Tigers on the playing field, but also in the locker room, and in the pocket book. Here's to hoping he stays away from the team for good.

There is no doubt in my mind that Curtis Granderson had the best weekend of any Tiger in Chicago, hitting two triples, a double, and two homeruns in the series with the Cubs. He continues to be a great asset to the team, both as a constantly improving center fielder, but also as a good bat at the top of the order. His accomplishments this year will often be overlooked because of the success of his rookie peers, Joel Zumaya and Justin Verlander, but his importance to the team is no less.

Briefs:

*Joel Zumaya pitched three solid innings on 6/11 to record his first major league save. As Zumaya continues to develop his curveball and change-up, he will become a more attractive option to close games for the Tigers. Anyone that can throw triple-digit fastballs for three straight innings is definitely an important part of any bullpen.

*Todd Jones continues to struggle, blowing three of his last six save attempts, including a four run, no out rally by the Toronto Blue Jays. As stated above, Zumaya is the perfect type of pitcher for the closing role, and while Jim Leyland certainly seems to have confidence in Jones right now, don't be surprised if you see Zumaya or Fernando Rodney getting a shot at closing some games down the road.

On a personal note, I attended the Friday and Saturday games for the Cubs series, and it was some of the best baseball I've ever had the chance to see live. Wrigley Field, in the bleachers, is like a party, and there was no shortage of Tigers fans out there, with "Let's Go Tigers" chants breaking out more than a few times during Saturday's game. It's a wonder the Cubs keep selling games out when they play the way they do, but if fans continue to buy tickets, their is no incentive to spend any money to try and improve the team. I also met Jim Leyland after the Saturday game, but do not have a photo due to some camera issues. On Sunday, I caught a BP ball that flew over the wall in center. It was a great time in Chicago, and the Tigers got three more good wins. The next series starts tonight at the Milwaukee Brewers.

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