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The Detroit Tigers are surprising division contenders in the AL Central

By Ash Thompson

SEATTLE, WA - MAY 18: Victor Martinez #41 of the Detroit Tigers is congratulated by teammates in the dugout after scoring a run on a double by John Hicks #55 of the Detroit Tigers off of starting pitcher Felix Hernandez #34 of the Seattle Mariners that also scored Nicholas Castellanos #9 of the Detroit Tigers during the first inning a game at Safeco Field on May 18, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - MAY 18: Victor Martinez #41 of the Detroit Tigers is congratulated by teammates in the dugout after scoring a run on a double by John Hicks #55 of the Detroit Tigers off of starting pitcher Felix Hernandez #34 of the Seattle Mariners that also scored Nicholas Castellanos #9 of the Detroit Tigers during the first inning a game at Safeco Field on May 18, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) /
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Nobody predicted that the Detroit Tigers would be 1.5 games back a quarter of the way through the season. Nobody predicted their division would be this bad.

The Detroit Tigers are second in the AL Central division. Somehow, a team that many in Detroit wrote off entirely at the beginning of the season is contending for a playoff spot. I will grant you, the AL Central-leading Cleveland Indians have a record of 21-22, and the Minnesota Twins are nipping at the Tigers heels. The Tigers, however, at 20-24, are only 1.5 games back.

Many said there would be no reason to head down to Comerica Park in 2018. I have to count myself among them. The Tigers though, are currently 12-10 at home. If a fan heads down to the park there is a better than 50% chance they will watch the Tigers win. Despite a plethora of injuries, the Tigers have been trending up recently. They are 6-4 in their last ten games. That makes them the only team in the division on an upward recent trend.

In a good division, which the Central was last year, this would be a lost season for the Tigers. I am not making the argument that they’re a good team. Their .455 winning percentage tells us that they are not. To some extent, I am saying that it doesn’t matter if the Tigers are good. A bad team is going to the playoffs out of the AL Central. We are now over a quarter of the way through the season and the Tigers are division contenders. The Tigers may very well prove to be that team.

This weekend the Tigers are on the road. They are, unfortunately, nowhere near as successful as at home. The team has an 8-14 record outside Michigan. They are currently in the midst of a four-game series with the Seattle Mariners. The teams split the first two games. The Tigers went 2-1 in their series with the Mariners last weekend. They then took two of three from the Indians during the week.

RHP Mike Fiers (4-2, 4.23 ERA) takes the mound for the Tigers against LHP James Paxton (2-1, 3.52 ERA) of the Mariners tonight. The game starts at 9:10 PM on Fox Sports Detroit. Tomorrow’s game is at 4:10 PM. The Tigers will put LHP Francisco Liriano on the mound (3-1, 4.03 ERA) against LHP Wade LeBlanc (0-0, 2.51 ERA) in a battle of southpaws.

Next: Pistons unlucky in the draft lottery

The Detroit Tigers are not a good team, but it might not matter. Detroit’s baseball fans could be watching meaningful games well into the late summer regardless of the team’s actual quality. If you’re looking for a way to kill some time this summer, there are worse options than hitting the ballpark.

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