OK...Now It Is August

Rob Sanford

Earlier this season whenever the Tigers were in a "big" series, manager Jim Leyland would always say...."well come back to me in August" before you say any game is a big one. It's now August and the Bengals have a big week. It's a huge series with the Indians and Cleveland knows it's their chance to make a statement that they are going to be in the race until the end. The Tribe has at least 2-legit starting pitchers and the Tigers will see them both. Having said all of this, I have to also say I've had "the kool aid" and now believe Detroit is the team to beat. As of Sunday, the Tigers are in a position where if they finish the rest of the season simply at .500....the Indians will have to go 31-21 to catch them.

Saturday, I held my breath as Victor Martinez went down when he tried to score from third. It appeared he had a knee injury...and right away, I'm thinking about ligament damage, but fortunately that's not the case. V-Mart is one player the Bengals simply can't be without, having hit over .400 with runners in scoring position. Everytime I think about that, I'm still amazed.

After getting off to a putrid start, ir's looking like Rick Porcello may have turned a corner. He always had good control, but it's even better now and it looks like he's been able to add a little more "juice" to his fastball. His development has been a huge plus for the Tigers this season and has made a big difference in the 2nd half.