I think we are going to be alright.
I know the question came up in a lot of Tigers fans’ heads when Skubal was traded. When it looked like this year was going to focus on building for future years to come.
But? What a difference a week makes.
Tigers went 4-2 since the last time we talked. Losing only once to the Mariners and once to the Giants. Losses, I may add, we made up for the next night by demolishing the opposing team’s defense. After losing a close one to the M’s 4-2, we come back and destroy them with an 11-0 shutout. After losing 5-2 to open the series with the Giants, we come back and only let them score one more run for the rest of the series.
ONE.
That’s a defense that showed up. That’s a defense that said we’re not done.
That’s a rotation that said we don’t need Skubal to win.
The pressure of whether they were staying or going at the deadline was gone. Now it was time to win.
And they have.
One of the most encouraging things was the way the offense exploded in the middle of last week.
Putting up 23 runs against the Mariners. Compared to Seattle’s total of 4 runs. The 11-run blowout had Framber Valdez throwing seven scoreless innings while Dillon Dingler continued his impressive season at the plate.
Dingler is becoming one of the most important pieces to this offense. He’s not just having a good season for a catcher; he is showing signs of a consistent power bat in the lineup.
A kind of bat you could put in the middle of your lineup, and people will be concerned to face him.
As good as Valdez was in his performance, let’s talk about the return of Jackson Jobe. In his first Major League appearance in more than a year, he goes 5 scoreless innings, allowed only one hit, walked one, and struck out 4 in Detroit’s 8-0 victory against San Francisco.
That’s huge.
Amidst all the concerns and questions about Jobe and his injuries and uncertainty, seeing him come back and immediately look like a legitimate rotation piece gives the Tigers exactly what they need.
I am not ready to put all my eggs in the Jobe basket, but if he can build on his appearance from last Saturday, the Tigers may have found another potential difference maker for the rotation. And that is like finding a four-leaf clover these days.
I feel that Colt Keith also should get a mention here. Granted, he doesn’t make headlines every night, but he is part of the group that Detroit needs to take another step offensively.
Since trading Skubal, the organization is now getting glimpses of what the next version of this team might look like. Keith is part of that.
On the flip side, the offense still likes to do their disappearing act once in a while. Granted, they have recovered faster from it this past week compared to others; in the loss to the Giants on the 7th, the Tigers collected eleven hits but only scraped up 2 runs, leaving 12 runners on base. An enormous amount.
Then there’s Tork. The talent is there, but the team needs more consistent production from the first baseman.
And considering the organization traded away Skubal and effectively signaled that it is thinking about the future, the question becomes: Is Tork part of that future?
All that aside, how can any Tigers fan be upset about this past week of play?
The question of are the Tigers still good after the trade deadline?
Is the answer? Yes.
Are they under .500 at the time of this writing? Yes.
Is that concerning? Not really. Look at the American League as a whole this year.
Yes, they are 58-60.
But they are also 3 ½ games behind the White Sox to earn back the top spot in the Central.
If they can keep the momentum going after this past week into Cleveland and then finally home to face the White Sox, there’s no good reason the Tigers can not be back to over .500 and first place in the AL Central by the time this column comes out next week.
This weekend’s series with Chicago at Comerica Park could be for first place.
Just before the All-Star break, who would have thought that would even be a discussion?
A few weeks ago, I asked if we saw the blip in the heart monitor signaling there is still life in this team.
Today, not only are they off it, but it seems their discharge papers are being drafted and they are expected to make a full recovery.
Let’s have a reversal of last year. Where instead of sliding out of the best record in the major leagues and barely making a wild card spot, we reclaim our throne at the top of the division and get some more October baseball in Detroit.
It’s all on them, though.
Comments