Maybe it’s just me because I’ve been caught up in the Pistons Championship run and the whole baby thing, but it doesn’t seem like the Tigers are getting much attention despite putting together a pretty nice run the last couple of weeks.

They’re finishing up their series with the Phillies as we speak (the game just entered the ninth). If they win the game, they’ll have won three straigh series against three quality teams. The Braves aren’t what they used to be, but they’re a quality veteran team. The Marlins lead the division, and here the Phillies are right behind them. If they beat the Phillies, they’ll be three games below .500, and only six games back of Minnesota. A far cry from what a lot of thought this team would be coming up on the beginning of July.

Brandon Inge hit his seventh homerun tonight, one short of his career best. His average is down to .285, but this is a guy people thought would be either dealt, or sent down to the minors. Like Robert Fick a few years ago when he was told he would never catch for this team, Brandon Inge has looked his critics in the face, including myself, and stared them down. He’s played catcher, third, and all three outfield positions. And he’s also been used six times as a pinch runner. He’s also hitting .268 against right handed pitching, which is a far cry from his career average.

On the other end of the spectrum is Steve Colyer, who has been a disappointment so far. We could have gotten sixteen walks in 21 innings from Franklyn German, and we wouldn’t have had to give up an outfield prospect to get him.

Speaking of German, he has sixteen saves, a 2.45 ERA, and 31 strikeouts in 25 2/3 innings. Combine that with no wild pitches, and only 13 walks, and you have a guy who could help this team down the stretch. Toledo is playing some good ball overall, and is tied with Columbus for the division lead.

The Tigers had the bases loaded with one out in the tenth and couldn’t score, so I’m going to bed. Congrats to the Pistons. And I’ve also updated the 1984 diary so it’s current (I cheated and back dated the entries).

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