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| Dontrelle Willis is 0-2 with a 4.35 ERA after five games with the Class A Lakeland Tigers, but is believed to be making progress, according to MLive.com. Detroit pitching coach Chuck Hernandez said, "He is making progress. I talked for a half hour to Lakeland pitching coach Joe Coleman, who says he is throwing strikes and that his command is better. He's repeating his delivery much better."
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Our View: This is encouraging news regarding his control, but there remains to target date as to when he may return to the Tigers. |
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| Gary Sheffield is feeling good again and stated that he is no longer limited in any way by his shoulder, according to MLive.com. He has not felt this good since the first half of 2007, when he had 21 homers at the All-Star break for Detroit, and he added, "I'm back to being a threat. I've been feeling like that for awhile, but I need to be active. You lose your rhythm otherwise."
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Our View: Sheffield has eight hits, one homer, and four RBI over his last six games, and looks to be a solid fantasy performer down the stretch. |
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| Miguel Cabrera had been two for his last fifteen, but he broke through in the Tigers win over Chicago, going 3-for-3 with two walks, a home run, and three RBI. |
Our View: Cabrera was the AL Player of the Month in July, and though he frustrated fantasy players for a while, he is finally getting back to his old self. |
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| Tigers reliever Fernando Rodney picked up his second save of the year, going 1.1 innings while striking out two and walking none. |
Our View: After four outings in a row giving up at least one run, Rodney has now gone two outings and 4.1 innings allowing no runs, and more importantly, only walking one batter. If he has good control, he can be a solid closer, and useful fantasy asset. |
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| Magglio Ordonez has been hitting the ball very well lately, but he does not have a very good match-up tonight against White Sox hurler Javier Vazquez. Ordonez is just 6-for-29 (.209) and has never drawn a walk against the righthander. He only has one extra base hit off Vazquez, a double, and his slugging percentage is a tiny .241. |
Our View: Ordonez probably should not come out of fantasy lineups, just don't expect too much from the slugger tonight. |
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| Justin Verlander allowed five runs on six hits and three walks while striking out eight over 7 2/3 innings Wednesday in the Tigers' 5-1 loss to Chicago. |
Our View: Two of the runs charged to Justin came across the plate while Aquilino Lopez was on the mound. Verlander has given up 18 runs over his last three starts, even though he also has 22 strikeouts over that time. |
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| On the day he was handed the closer's role, Joel Zumaya allowed three hits and four runs (one earned) and took a loss against the White Sox. Zumaya and the Tigers held a 8-6 lead going into the bottom of the 14th, and Nick Swisher finished the game with a three-run homer. Shortstop Edgar Renteria didn't help the cause by making an error. |
Our View: Renteria can share the blame, but the shortstop wasn't the one who gave up a single, double and home run. Zumaya has allowed at least one run in four straight outings and in six of his last seven showings. |
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| Placido Polanco got the Tigers off to a good start with a two-run homer in the first inning, and he added a second two-run shot in the 14th frame. However, his efforts against the White Sox on Tuesday night fell short thanks to a shoddy Tigers bullpen. Polanco also hit a triple over his six at-bats. |
Our View: Polanco often doesn't hit two home runs in a month, so it's obviously surprising to see him smack two in one game. Fantasy owners count on the second baseman for his batting average and runs. Count Tuesday as a bonus. |
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| The Tigers have another new closer. Joel Zumaya is now the man who will work the ninth inning, the Detroit News reports. "If we have a lead in the ninth inning, that's who will pitch," manager Jim Leyland says. The skipper adds that Zumaya is over a recent issue with his right shoulder, and Leyland cautioned that he may also consider Fernando Rodney and Kyle Farnsworth in the ninth inning on occasion. |
Our View: There was a time not so long ago when fantasy owners would have been shouting with glee about this news. However, Zumaya has allowed runs in three straight outings (and in five of six showings) and hasn't looked like his old self since coming back from surgery. Every closer is worth looking at in fantasy leagues, but we would guess that Zumaya's hold is tenuous. |
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| Miguel Cabrera has been named the AL Player of the Month for July, according to the AP. He earned the honor by batting .330 (35-for-106) with eight home runs and a major league-best 31 RBI.
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Our View: Cabrera raised his season average to .298, and has 20 homers and 82 RBI over 109 games. He got off to a slow start with his new club, but looks to remain strong down the stretch. |
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| Armando Galarraga had another terrific outing on Sunday, one wasted by the clubs bullpen. Galarraga lasted seven innings and permitted just four hits, no walks and one run to cross the plate. |
Our View: Galarraga has been a life saver for the Tigers rendering Dontrelle Willis completely irrelevant. Over his last 10 starts, Galarraga has allowed zero or one earned run five times. |
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| Miguel Cabrera hit his 20th home run of the year on Sunday, his lone hit in five trips to the plate. |
Our View: Cabrera has four home runs and 25 RBI in 17 appearances since the All-Star game as he has quickly erased the ill feelings that accompanied his performance in the early going. As they say, the cream always rises to the top. |
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| Detroit will send RHP Armando Galarraga to the mound today as they trip to Tampa Bay to face the Rays, looking for his 10th win of the season, according to the Miami Herald. |
Our View: The 26-year-old made just three big-league appearances -- one start -- with Texas in 2007, but has been solid from the start for the Tigers, including wins in seven of his initial nine decisions. Galarraga, who is 7-2 on the road this season, has never faced the Rays. |
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| Miguel Cabrera went 3-for-3 with an RBI in Saturday's 9-3 loss to the Rays. He hit one double with two singles. |
Our View: Cabrera has 11 hits and nine RBI over his last seven games, and should be solid down the stretch. |
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| Kenny Rogers was torched for seven earned runs on six hits over a mere 3.1 innings in Saturday's 9-3 loss to the Rays, with four walks and eight strikeouts. |
Our View: He falls to 8-8 for the season, and has allowed 12 earned runs over his last two starts. He should only be active in larger AL-only leagues. |
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| Joel Zumaya will not be available to pitch for the next few days due to tenderness in his upper right arm-shoulder area, according to the AP. Manager Jim Leyland said, "We’re hoping Tuesday he’s able to pitch." |
Our View: Fantasy owners should keep him stashed, as he could be line for some save opportunities with Todd Jones on the DL. |
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| Miguel Cabrera continued his hitting on Friday night as he had a hit and an RBI for the Tigers. He also walked twice. |
Our View: Cabrera has 19 RBI in his last 11 games as he continues his push to finish with his fifth straight season of .290-25-100 (he is currently at .293-19-80). |
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| Joel Zumaya hurled 1.1 innings on Friday night, and though he picked up two strikeouts he also allowed a solo home run to Evan Longoria. |
Our View: With Todd Jones on the DL, Zumaya could be in line to pick up some save chances, though outings like this one certainly won't help him in that endeavor as he needed 32 pitches to record four outs. |
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| Todd Jones received good news on Friday when and MRI revealed no significant damage to his shoulder and merely tendinitis, according to ESPN. "I was kind of worried," Jones said. "I thought it was going to be a tear or something like that." |
Our View: There is no timetable for his return at the moment, and with Kyle Farnsworth now in the mix, the team may not be in a hurry to rush Jones back into action, though they could certainly use his arm in a struggling bullpen. |
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| Dontrelle Willis went five innings, allowing one earned run in his start for Single-A Lakeland on Thursday. He struck out three batters, but also walked three. |
Our View: Willis is still having minor control issues, and in his past three starts, he has thrown 12.1 innings, walking six batters and allowing five earned runs. His return to the Tigers will likely be on hold until he shows better consistency. |
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| Tigers outfielder Curtis Granderson had a terrific series against the Cleveland Indians, going 10-for-18 in the four game set, according to the Detroit News. |
Our View: Granderson is again providing fantasy owners with a good season. He is hitting .309 with 11 home runs and 37 RBI, along with seven stolen bases. |
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