How big was the loss to the Chicago White Sox on Monday? Well it put the Detroit Tigers a full three games out of first place and put a real damper on their post season hopes and dreams. There are now 15 games left (after both the Tigers and White Sox won on Tuesday). There seems to be a clear advantage in the numbers or the match ups, but unlike Jim Leyland we sometimes go with the hot guy, or team as the case maybe.
September 18, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera (24) runs the bases after hitting a grand slam home run off Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Jesse Chavez (60) during the eighth inning at Comerica Park. Detroit won 12-2. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE
So here is how it all breaks down. The Tigers have two more games with the Oakland A’s, six with the Twins, and seven with the Royals. The last six games are on the road. That means the next nine games at home are the Tiers best change to make up some ground on the White Sox. Who have two more games at the Royals, three at the Los Angeles Angels, and seven at home and on the road versus the Cleveland Indians, and four against the Tampa Bay Rays in Chicago.
The Tigers have a 17-11 record against their remaining opponents. The Sox have a 20-16 record against their remaining opponents, plus the cushion of a full three game lead. Those numbers suggest that Tigers could make a run at the Sox. Especially since the White Sox are just 6-10 versus the Kansas City Royals so far in 2012, and the next nine Tigers games are at Comerica Park where this team is much better than they are on the road.
Each team will face an opponent firmly in the playoff chase. The Tigers have two more against the A’s who lead the American League Wild Card chase by a half a game. The Sox have to go to the Angels who themselves are currently three games back of a wild card spot. We could argue that the AL Wild Cad is going to come out of the AL East, and that the Sox will not play an opponent headed to the post season for the rest of 2012, but they do have those four games against the always dangerous Rays.
If DJC was forced to make a prediction right now we would have to say it looks like the Tigers will come up just short of a playoff spot. That is a big deal, and may determine what kind of off season the Tigers have. Many feel that Jim Leyland time in Detroit has run its course. We are just going to have to wait and see on this one.
However, the health of Max Scherzer, Alex Avila, and Quintin Berry may change the look of the final two weeks of the 2012 regular season.
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