A match-up between two of the top teams in the American League provided an opportunity for early bragging rights for league supremacy. While the Tigers came in with the most productive offense in MLB, the Texas Rangers were pitching very effectively.

But it was the Texas offense that pounded Detroit pitching in three of the four games, reminding us that the Rangers can still slug their way to victory.

So did we actually learn anything from the Tigers losing three of four games to the Rangers? Here are five things that come to mind, as Detroit gets ready for a two-game set with the Cleveland Indians.

1. Miguel Cabrera is going to win another AL MVP. Maybe that’s selling him short. Could he win a second consecutive Triple Crown? That seems like a bit much, though Cabrera does lead MLB with a .387 batting average and 47 RBI. His 11 home runs are only two behind the AL lead as well.

The Tigers are in contention, which will certainly help Cabrera’s cause. (Of course, Tigers fans would like their team to be in a better position than 2.5 games behind the Indians for first place in the AL Central. Perhaps they can take care of that during the next two games versus the Tribe at Progressive Field.) Detroit’s third baseman also left a major impression on voters with a huge performance in a nationally televised game against another playoff contender.

Obviously, one game isn’t going to determine anyone’s MVP vote. (If it did, that voter’s Baseball Writers Association of America membership card should probably be rescinded.) But Cabrera’s three home runs on Sunday night, with the national ESPN crew in attendance, was a strong reminder that the reigning AL MVP is playing at the height of his abilities. He batted 9-for-16 (.563) in the four-game series. There’s no better hitter in baseball right now.

And unlike last year, there may not be a suitable challenger to Cabrera for top player honors. The biggest threat might be Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees. Can the Baltimore Orioles’ Chris Davis keep up his current production? Maybe Dustin Pedroia? Why am I listing hitters only from the AL East?

2. Detroit’s starting pitching isn’t invincible. Perhaps this was just one bad series, with most of the Tigers’ starters pitching poorly in one series.

Justin Verlander had what might have been the worst start of his career, giving up eight runs in less than three innings. Two bases-loaded walks and poor location on several pitches call into question whether Verlander’s mechanics are out of sync or even if he’s injured.

Anibal Sanchez certainly had his worst start of the season, allowing five earned runs and nine hits as he had trouble finding the strike zone. He couldn’t make it out of the third inning either.

In addition, Doug Fister couldn’t help Detroit salvage a series split on Sunday. At least he was able to get through the third inning. Unfortunately, he couldn’t last through the fifth after giving up four runs during that frame.

Surprisingly, the Tigers’ starting pitching standout was Rick Porcello, who allowed just one run in 5.2 innings. Porcello also racked up six strikeouts, which was encouraging. He’s given up three runs or fewer in his past four starts, while striking out 24 batters in 25 innings. (Porcello credits his changeup for the improvement, according to MLB.com’s Jason Beck.)

Detroit might just hang on to this guy after all. Right, Lynn Henning?

3. The Tigers’ lineup misses Austin Jackson. Here’s our Captain Obvious statement for the day. Jackson has been an extremely valuable player for Detroit going back to last season.

Making matters worse, the Tigers don’t really have a viable replacement for him. Andy Dirks batted 3-for-13 (.231) with no walks batting leadoff for three games in Texas. Omar Infante hit well against lefty Derek Holland on Sunday, going 2-for-5.

Maybe Jim Leyland should continue to bat Infante leadoff, regardless of whether a right- or left-handed pitcher is starting against the Tigers. Fortunately for Detroit, Jackson should be back next Tuesday when he’s eligible to come off the disabled list.

4. The Rangers are the best team in baseball right now. If one team in this series won three games or completed a four-game sweep, a strong argument could have been made that either Texas or Detroit was the top club in the AL.

While it’s not a definitive statement that could last throughout the season, the Rangers certainly asserted themselves early in the season as an AL favorite. The Tigers scored some runs against a pitching staff that allowed the fewest runs in the league coming into the series. That’s encouraging for the next time these two teams meet — and perhaps further down the line, in the postseason.

Of course, Texas could say the same after pounding three of Detroit’s best starting pitchers, something that would presumably give the Tigers an advantage in a five- or seven-game playoff series.

5. The bullpen continues to be an issue. Detroit’s relief struggles were exacerbated by the starting pitchers not being able to work deep into ballgames. Having your starter chased before the fifth inning is going to expose the soft underbelly of a team’s bullpen, namely its middle relief.

That’s true for almost every major league club. The Tigers are obviously no exception to this, as even their closer situation is relatively uncertain.

To be fair, Detroit’s middle relief pitched relatively well in the first three games of the series. Darin Downs and fresh-from-Toledo Evan Reed each gave up a run on Thursday in their combined 5.1 innings. But Jose Ortega, Drew Smyly, Joaquin Benoit and Jose Valverde protected a one-run lead with 3.1 innings of scoreless baseball on Friday. Smyly and Phil Coke allowed one run in 5.1 innings after Sanchez was knocked out early on Saturday.

That appeared to have tapped the bullpen out for the final game of the weekend, however. Ortega and Coke (which sounds like a taqueria special) were hammered for six runs in 1.2 innings of work, killing whatever chances the Tigers had at a rally.

Would the results have been better if Octavio Dotel wasn’t injured and Al Alburquerque hadn’t been demoted to the minors? We’ll never know, but this question will surely come up again several times this season.

Seven weeks into the 2013 season, there can only be so many important “showdown” or “statement” series for a Major League Baseball team.

Yet the Detroit Tigers seem to have found themselves in several series thus far that could be viewed as playoff or World Series previews.

Having interleague play earlier in the schedule due to realignment has something to do with that. The Tigers have already faced the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals, both of whom could be potential World Series opponents.

Approximately three weeks ago, I suggested that the first meeting of the season between the Tigers and Kansas City Royals was a “showdown,” arguing that Detroit needed to step on the upstart Royals and assert themselves in the AL Central.

Last weekend, the Tigers faced the Cleveland Indians for a three-game set at Comerica Park, with the Tribe just two games out of first place. The Indians came into the series having won 10 of their last 11 games and looked ready to make a run at Detroit for the division lead. Cleveland ended up winning two of three to reach a first-place tie with Detroit.

(Some writers out there think the Tribe will hang with the Tigers far longer into the season than they have during the past two seasons. Indians fans actually seem to be skeptical of that, given those collapses in 2011 and 2012.)

But the Tigers will play the Indians and Royals plenty more times through the rest of the season since they’re divisional opponents. Detroit has 17 more games with Kansas City and 16 more versus Cleveland on the schedule. That’s probably why it’s not worth getting too excited about early-season match-ups.

However, MLB teams face inter-divisional opponents six or seven times this season. The Tigers begin a four-game series with the Texas Rangers Thursday night in Arlington. Detroit and Texas only have seven games against each other. They’ll play a three-game set at Comerica Park in mid-July.

Even though it’s May 16 as I write this, with 126 games remaining on the Tigers’ schedule, this series seems like kind of a big deal.

At 24-14, the Rangers are tied with the New York Yankees for the best record in the American League. (The Yankees’ success thus far warrants a whole other blog post.) Only the St. Louis Cardinals have a better record in MLB.

Texas has allowed 135 runs, the fewest in the league. Pretty impressive for a team that wasn’t able to sign Zack Greinke during the offseason or get an ace-level starter like Greinke or Cole Hamels at last year’s trade deadline.

A big reason for that pitching success has been Yu Darvish, who appears to be worth every bit of the $112 million ($60 million contract plus $51.7 million posting bid to his Japanese team) that the Rangers invested in him.

In his first eight starts, Darvish compiled a 6-1 record and 2.73 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 52.2 innings. That strikeout total leads the majors, as does his rate of 13.7 Ks per nine innings.

Sure enough, that’s who the Tigers are facing in Thursday night’s series opener.

Of course, Detroit has their No. 1 guy opposing Darvish. Justin Verlander starts for the Tigers, creating the best pitching match-up of the early season. (Normally, I’d say “probably” or “arguably” in a sentence like that, but I think we can be definitive here. Has there been a better match-up yet this year?)

Verlander’s 4-3 record doesn’t look terribly impressive at the moment, though we know better than to judge pitchers by their win-loss record these days. His 1.93 ERA, ranked fourth in the AL, is far more indicative of his performance.

With 57 strikeouts in 51.1 innings, however, there have been concerns over Verlander showing diminished velocity and movement on his pitches this season. His strikeout rate of 10 per nine innings is the eighth-best in MLB, but as Rob Rogacki pointed out at Bless You Boys, Verlander’s fastball and curveball aren’t as effective as they have been in recent years.

(I’m writing this very late in the day, so it’s likely you’ll either read this during or after Thursday’s game. Let me know how it turns out.)

Based on numbers, the Tigers appear to have the starting pitching advantage in this series. (Though Rick Porcello and his 6.68 ERA start on Friday.) Sunday’s match-up between Doug Fister and Derek Holland looks to be another good match-up.

Detroit’s 206 runs are the most in baseball, so something will obviously yield between the Tigers’ offense and the Rangers’ pitching.

Of course, these two teams could split the four-game series, which probably wouldn’t tell us too much. But winning three of four or finishing off a sweep could make a definitive statement as to who is the best team in the AL right now.

Far from it. I want a t-shirt, bobblehead, mini-bat or commemorative cup as much as any baseball fan.

I think the Detroit Tigers have been pretty darn creative with their promotions and theme nights over the past few seasons. Disco Night, Star Wars Night, Country Night, etc.

Even if you’re not at Comerica Park enjoying the events, you get some fun visuals on TV — especially if Mario Impemba and Rod Allen join in the fun (often with creative Photoshopping by the Fox Sports Detroit production crew.)

I especially like the ethnic heritage nights that the Tigers hold because they highlight and celebrate the many backgrounds and nationalities that live in the metro Detroit area. I certainly haven’t lived everywhere, but I’ve lived in a few different places now and can say that other cities are sorely lacking in the sort of ethnic diversity and varied cultural backgrounds that you can find in Detroit.

In looking over the special events schedule this season (courtesy of an e-mail from the Tigers), a couple of occasions do stand out.

Zubazpalooza looks pretty fun. I’m sure it’s a celebration for those who actually held onto those zebra-striped monstrosities from the early 90s. It would be even better if Prince Fielder took the field in some Zubazs, as he did during batting practice as a kid.

But how about the event on June 17? “Gluten Free Package” night?

Seriously? This is a thing?

I understand that gluten-free diets are the trendy thing nowadays. The increasing number of items at grocery stores and restaurants will tell you that. I do wonder, however, how many people actually need to follow a gluten-free diet because they suffer from celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

But hey, if you feel better by eating gluten-free, that’s all that matters.  Maybe I should try it.

I guess my point — I was getting to it eventually — is being surprised gluten-free eating is such a thing that baseball teams such as the Tigers are creating theme nights based around it. I get that there’s not a “Vegetarian Night” or “Paleo Diet Night” because people could create those sorts of meals from what’s already available at the concession stands. Well, presumably. I’m not saying it would be easy.

Perhaps the Tigers feel like they missed the boat on the low-carb thing and should’ve had a “Low Carb Package” night years ago, including hot dogs without the buns and Michelob Ultra beer.

Maybe I shouldn’t poke fun at this. Are the Tigers providing a service to those who have felt underserved? Are you gluten-free with a gluten-free family and excited about June 17 at Comerica Park? I’m just trying to learn here; I’m trying to understand. Help me bridge the gap.

The Tigers’ Triple-A team will be outfitted in jerseys inspired by Chewbacca. These really look like a bad choice, as you can see from the accompanying photo.

Sure, the jerseys are memorable — likely more so than if the Mud Hens went with a C-3PO or R2D2 theme. Han Solo and his vest or Darth Vader and his calculator chestpiece probably wouldn’t work. So maybe Chewie was the right way to go.

If only these tops didn’t look so hideous with their brown color and what’s supposed to be fur, but really looks kind of like feathers. Maybe a wookiee’s coat is feathers — alien feathers from a galaxy far, far away.

Oh, and then you also have Chewbacca’s ammunition belt draped across the chest and the Mud Hens local imposed over the whole design. Wow.

Maybe these things will look better in action. And the poor Mud Hens players can console themselves by remembering that Derek Jeter once had to wear an ugly July 4th-themed jersey while on a rehab assignment with the Double-A Trenton Thunder.

But maybe the players like these jerseys. Danny Worth told MLive’s Chris Iott, “I like it though, switching up from the regular ones.” You probably just have to embrace this sort of minor-league craziness. It’s part of the game.

No matter what, you’re still playing baseball, right? Even if you have to dress up — sort of — like a Star Wars character. Besides, this is a story these players will always be able to share and laugh about. How many will be able to say they wore a Chewbacca top during a game?

That probably goes for the fans too. They’ll be able to say they once watched players wearing perhaps the ugliest jerseys ever created for a baseball game. Of course, they might also have to admit that they were wearing a Princess Leia outfit or their own homemade Chewbacca costume while watching the ballgame.

I know I’m late on writing about this. It’s been out there for a while. I should be happy as a baseball fan and a Star Wars fan. (I wouldn’t call myself a Star Wars fanatic, though. I’m more of a comic book guy.)

Yet I think this somehow offends me as both a baseball fan and Star Wars fan. No one is winning here. Search your feelings; you know it to be true.

But having interleague play every day on the schedule presented us with this matchup in late April, pitting two pennant contenders against each other. Regardless of how the series turned out, to react too strongly one way or another wouldn’t have been sensible.

Yet a sweep over the Braves, who came to Detroit with the best record in MLB at 15-6, is certainly notable. It’s even more of an eyebrow-raiser considering how dominant the Tigers looked, winning the three games by a combined score of 25-7. Would anyone have predicted that result?

Surprises aside, there were definitely some things to take from this three-game sweep. Here are five things we learned from the weekend.

1. The Tigers can destroy good pitching. Maybe this is a Captain Obvious statement. Detroit has one of the best lineups in MLB, led by Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder. Still, it was somewhat of a surprise to see the Tigers blow up three Atlanta pitchers that came into this series with impressive numbers.

Left-hander Paul Maholm had a 3-1 record and 1.03 ERA in his first four starts. He’d allowed three runs in 26.1 innings. Was Maholm pitching over his head? Yes, probably. His ERA was close to 4.00 in each of the past two seasons, with a career mark of 4.24. Nonetheless, the Tigers rocked him for eight runs and 10 hits in less than four innings.

Kris Medlen has gotten off to a slow start this season, but ended last year as one of the best pitchers in the National League. After the All-Star break, he went 9-0 with an 0.94 ERA in 19 appearances (12 starts). Medlen wasn’t at his best on Saturday, leaving several pitches up in the strike zone, and Tigers hitters didn’t miss. Detroit roughed him up for five runs and 10 hits (two of them home runs) in 5.1 innings.

Lefty Mike Minor also came into Detroit with a 3-1 record, along with a 1.80 ERA. He looks ready to have a breakout season for the Braves. Against the Tigers, however, Minor lasted almost seven innings, but not before he allowed six runs on six hits (two of them homers).

2. Victor Martinez is OK, everyone. Before this weekend’s series with Atlanta, Martinez was carrying a .187 average and .492 OPS.  For a guy who’s only job it is to hit, he wasn’t doing much of it. But it’s worth remembering that Martinez missed all of last season. That’s a long time to go without facing major league pitching. It stands to reason his timing would be off and his swing could be out of whack.

Additionally, one of the hazards of playing designated hitter is that a player doesn’t get to play the field and take his mind off struggles at the plate. That’s probably a reason why Jim Leyland played Martinez at first base on Saturday.

But Martinez looked like he’s clicking in the three games versus the Braves. He batted 4-for-12 with two doubles and three RBI. Now that his swing appears to be there, perhaps we’ll see Martinez hit for some power against the Twins and Astros this week.

3. Maybe this Jose Valverde thing will really work. It’s only been three games, of course. And in those appearances, a few batters have taken Valverde deep to the warning track and given Tigers fans a bit of a scare.

But his performance on Saturday is the one that provides some hope. Perhaps Valverde has never been a dominant, lights-out closer, per se, but he looked capable of being one by striking out B.J. Upton and Juan Francisco to close out Saturday’s win.

That two-seam fastball had some movement to it. According to MLB.com Gameday, Valverde hit 94 mph on the radar gun, showing the increased velocity the Tigers were talking about. He also mixed in a couple of splitters to Evan Gattis.

Perhaps it should also be encouraging that Valverde got three outs in a non-save situation Sunday night, something he was disastrous in last year. With no save on the line, Valverde had a 4.55 ERA, allowing 15 runs and 30 hits in 29.2 innings.

4. No Verlander, no Scherzer? No problem. The Tigers swept the Braves emphatically without Justin Verlander or Max Scherzer pitching in the series. I wasn’t crazy about Detroit signing Anibal Sanchez to a five-year, $80 million contract in the offseason, but maybe I need to drink a cup of shut the eff up. If Sanchez keeps pitching like he did on Friday night — striking out 17 Braves batters — can anybody match the Tigers’ top starting three?

Granted, the Braves strike out a lot, ranking second in MLB in that category. There are maybe two teams capable of whiffing that many times right now. The Tigers play that other club — the Houston Astros — this coming weekend. Oh, if only Sanchez was scheduled to face the Astros…

Nonetheless, it’s definitely notable that Verlander or Scherzer wasn’t the one to break Mickey Lolich’s team record for strikeouts in a game. Did anyone else think as they were watching the game that Sanchez might match the 20 strikeouts racked up by Roger Clemens and Kerry Wood? Maybe that was asking a bit much, especially since all those strikeouts took 121 pitches from Sanchez.

5. Matt Tuiasosopo might be the new starting left fielder. To be fair, Andy Dirks probably wouldn’t have started against left-hander pitchers Maholm and Minor. But he was also struggling badly going into the weekend, batting .167 with a .468 OPS and 12 strikeouts in 58 plate appearances.

Tuiasosopo made the most of his opportunity, batting 4-for-10 in the Braves series. That included a breakout 2-for-4 performance on Friday that included one homer and five RBI.

As it turns out, Dirks is batting a knee injury that’s bothered him since slamming into a wall during spring training. So he really can’t be properly judged, as he’s not playing at full strength. However, that injury is obviously preventing him from being productive. Maybe this is something Dirks has to just play through or he’ll get better by sitting out for a while and maybe even going on the disabled list. He and the Tigers have to figure that out in the next few days.

The Tigers would surely prefer to have Dirks’ left-handed bat in the lineup for balance. Putting Tuiasosopo in the batting order leaves only Alex Avila, Prince Fielder and the switch-hitting Victor Martinez batting from the left side against right-handed pitching.

But Tuiasosopo is putting up the better numbers right now, and it wouldn’t be the first time Leyland went with the hot hand at one of his corner outfield positions.

— Follow @iancass on Twitter

So this is really happening? The Detroit Tigers are actually going to do this?

Welcome back to Tiger Town, Jose Valverde. Hey, where have you been?

Oh, that’s right — the Tigers wanted nothing to do with him after last season, especially when he couldn’t get anyone out in the postseason. You’ve probably repressed this memory, so I apologize for bringing it back.

(Actually, the Tigers should probably apologize since they made the decision to bring Valverde back.)

Valverde pitched fewer than three innings in the playoffs, finishing with a 30.37 ERA.

He allowed nine runs and 11 hits (two of them home runs). He did rack up six strikeouts among the eight he recorded. Unfortunately, when opposing batters weren’t swinging and missing, they were hitting Valverde and hitting him hard.

Jim Leyland just couldn’t trust Valverde to get anyone out, so Phil Coke ended up becoming the de facto playoff closer.

That knocked the Tigers’ bullpen setup out of whack, forcing Leyland to use his relievers in roles they weren’t accustomed to during the season. Having to save Coke for the ninth meant he wasn’t available to pitch to left-handed batters when needed in earlier innings.

Was it the only reason the Tigers lost the World Series? Of course not. Unless Valverde could’ve gotten a hit against San Francisco Giants pitching.

But Dave Dombrowski couldn’t wait to get rid of Valverde once the season ended. He probably thanked Valverde for his services even before the season was over.

That let Valverde know that he wouldn’t be getting a new contract from the Tigers and told Scott Boras that he better start getting one of those thick presentation binders ready for his client’s free agency.

Boras had other fish to fry anyway, working Dombrowski hard to sign one of his other free-agent clients, closer Rafael Soriano.

Every other MLB team that might have had interest in a closer or setup man saw the same stuff from Valverde that everyone else watching the playoffs did. Valverde looked finished.

He became a one-pitch pitcher, relying mostly on his fastball with some splitters mixed in. But that fastball (a two-seamer) had less velocity on it than it did in previous seasons, as well.

While Valverde was waiting to be signed by any team, the Tigers decided to move on to Bruce Rondon. As MLB.com’s Jason Beck reminds us, Dombrowski (and presumably, Leyland) all but handed the 22-year-old fireballer the closer job.

“This guy is a special potential closer with the makeup of a closer, and normally you’re not going to thrust that in a young guy’s hands and say automatically, ‘It’s your job.’ But it would not surprise me if he earned that job. With the number of good arms that are out there, there are not many arms like this, and he cherishes that type of role.”

It looked like sound judgment by the Tigers. Over the years, they’ve spent money on free-agent closers like Troy Percival, Todd Jones and Valverde with little return. Go with the kid this time. Not only was he younger and cheaper, but he was probably better than anyone the Tigers could sign.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the 2013 season. Rondon couldn’t win the job in spring training, showing the same control problems that he exhibited last season in the minors.

Suddenly, Leyland (and presumably, Dombrowski) had significant questions as to whether or not a rookie could handle the pressure of being a closer in the major leagues, let alone a closer for a World Series contender.

The decision was made to assign Rondon to Triple-A Toledo and go with the closer-by-committee approach. Who would be the Tigers’ closer? Hey, it could be anybody!

That made many several observers rub their hands together in anticipation. In theory, any competent MLB  reliever should be able to close out a game in the ninth inning. The Tigers had their deepest bullpen in years with Coke, Joaquin Benoit, Octavio Dotel and Al Alburquerque all capable of getting those three final outs.

Yet Leyland didn’t manage like someone who would pick his closer based on the matchups presented to him in a particular game. He managed more like someone hoping that one of his relievers would eventually seize the job.

Coke was the first one to get that chance, but Leyland apparently didn’t get the memo about how poorly Coke pitched against right-handed hitters. Why not use someone like Dotel or Alburquerque in those situations? Only the skipper knows.

Benoit looked like the next guy to get a shot. But again, for whatever reason, Leyland wasn’t comfortable with him in those situations, despite being given little opportunity to prove himself.

Leyland wanted a closer. And there was one guy in the organization that, in his mind, could fill that role.

Valverde was still out there, waiting to be signed. So the Tigers finally decided to bring him back, albeit to a minor-league deal that presented little risk. Though it appeared to be a desperate move for Detroit, there wasn’t much to lose. If Valverde was terrible, the Tigers would never call him up and could let him go after May 8.

However, the team seemed to like what they were hearing from their staff about Valverde’s performance in Single-A Lakeland. Never mind that, as Yahoo! Sports’ Eric Adelson pointed out, he was pitching in front of 63 people and facing hitters straight out of high school.

But as Valverde’s friend told Adelson, perhaps three straight seasons of nearly 70 innings caught up with Papa Grande and he wore down. Valverde often looked like a pitcher who may have been hiding an injury, but maybe he was just fatigued.

Couldn’t Valverde just tire out again this year, if Leyland used him as he has the past three seasons? One would think so, but maybe Valverde is in better condition to guard against that. The Tigers are obviously hoping so.

From most accounts, Valverde has his velocity back, touching 97 mph on the radar gun. His secondary pitches are also showing good movement. Valverde never featured a changeup or sinker in his previous three seasons in Detroit, but apparently has been working on those pitches.

So this is really happening.

With no one stepping up to take the closer job, Dotel on the DL and Rondon’s suitability for the role still uncertain, the Tigers are going with someone familiar. Dombrowski announced Tuesday night that Valverde would be added to Detroit’s roster for Wednesday’s game versus the Kansas City Royals. Leyland confirmed to reporters that Valverde would get the ball if there’s a save opportunity.

Desperate? Maybe. But the Tigers don’t seem to have any better options. Or at least Leyland isn’t willing to try them.

It’s still early in the season, but the Tigers do have to get their bullpen roles figured out as the schedule moves into May. If they feel Valverde can be the guy — even if recent history suggests that he can’t be — then he should get the ball in the ninth inning.

If Valverde doesn’t work out, it’s still early enough in the year to make another move. Much like second base and left field last season, this is increasingly looking like a need Dombrowski will have to address at the trade deadline.

This is what it’s come to for the Tigers. But did it ever need to get to this point? The only person who can bury those questions at this point is Valverde.

Nice special effects! It’s like Miguel Cabrera is in the next Marvel superhero movie.

Personally, I’ve always dreaded the Tigers being on Sunday Night Baseball. In the past, they’ve seemed to wilt under the national spotlight. Of course, I also have that Midwestern inferiority complex that seeks affirmation and a Sunday night game brings that.

Could this weekend’s Tigers-Braves series be a World Series preview? Sure, it might be too early to make that kind of declaration, but the new schedule gives us interleague play every day — and thus, a series liek this in April.

(via Austin Drake on Facebook)

At this point of the season, virtually everything you could write about a baseball team has to be prefaced by the qualifier, “it’s early.”

So to call a late April series between the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals an important one is probably overreacting a bit. After all, it’s early.

But 18 games into the season, the Royals are a “surprise” with a 10-7 record and a slim one-game first-place lead in the AL Central. The Tigers are a “disappointment” with a 9-9 record that has them 1.5 games behind Kansas City in the division.

The Royals roll into Detroit on a high note, having swept a Sunday doubleheader at Fenway Park with the goodwill of an entire nation directed toward Boston. The Red Sox had won seven in a row and looked to be emerging as a contender in the AL East.

The Tigers staggered back home licking some wounds after suffering a three-game sweep in Anaheim to the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels were strugg-a-ling at 5-10, leaving them six games behind the first-place Oakland Athletics in the AL West and buckling under heavy expectations.

The fear going into last weekend’s series, of course, is that the Angels could right themselves at the Tigers’ expense as Detroit neared the end of a nine-game West Coast road trip. That’s exactly what happened, with the Angels crushing Tigers pitching in two of the three games. Detroit was outscored 18-1 in the first two games of the series.

Getting swept in Anaheim ended the road trip on a bad note. After winning two of three in Oakland and Seattle, this had the look of a successful West Coast swing for the Tigers. Even better, Detroit got that trip out of the way early in the season.

However, the schedule could end up making a bad thing worse for the Tigers this week.

If the Royals stay hot and win this series, that nudges Detroit a bit further down the AL Central standings with the Atlanta Braves coming to town for the weekend. More importantly, a series win — even in late April — could help give Kansas City some confidence that they can hang with the consensus favorite in the division.

Of course, the Tigers could pull themselves together against the Royals over the next three games, which would obviously be the best result. Detroit went 13-5 versus K.C. last year. Beating up on the lower-tier clubs in the division is a big reason why the Tigers were able to eke out a division title.

But the Royals team that’s visiting Comerica Park for the next three games really does look like a different team. Maybe they’re still a trendy sleeper pick in the division — even in the league.

Yet as of right now, the changes general manager Dayton Moore made to his starting rotation appear to be paying off in a big way.

Trading top prospect Wil Myers (and three other prospects) to the Tampa Bay Rays for James Shields and Wade Davis looked like a short-sighted deal at first glance. Was it really worth giving up a potential star for the short-term fix of a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher who wasn’t really an ace?

After four starts, however, Shields has yielded the desired results for the Royals’ rotation. Though he has a 1-2 record, he’s allowed nine runs in 27 innings for a 3.00 ERA. Shields has also racked up 28 strikeouts in that span versus just six walks. He’s been the No. 1 starter K.C. was seeking.

But Davis arguably may have been the more important acquisition. For one thing, he’s 27 years old — four years younger than Shields. And with three club options in his current contract, he could be under club control through 2017.

Davis has been excellent in his first three starts, going 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA. Though he’s allowed 18 hits in 16 innings, the right-hander has struck out 15 batters and walked only three. Davis will pitch the series opener for K.C., matched up against Max Scherzer.

One more addition that Moore made that’s paid off so far is Ervin Santana. During the past two seasons with the Angels, he didn’t look too impressive, pitching like a fifth starter. But whether it’s because he’s healthier, refined his game, needed the ol’ change of scenery or is simply pitching more efficiently, Santana has been a new pitcher for the Royals. He has a 2.48 ERA after four starts, striking out 26 batters in 29 innings with just five walks.

However, with Scherzer, Justin Verlander and Anibal Sanchez set to pitch in this series, the Tigers appear to have the pitching advantage. Additionally, the Royals’ offense hasn’t matched the performance of the pitching staff thus far.

Outfielders Alex Gordon and Lorenzo Cain, along with shortstop Alcides Escobar, are off to strong starts, giving Kansas City the offense it needs.

But first baseman Eric Hosmer hasn’t shaken off his poor sophomore season, compiling a .629 OPS with no home runs in 52 plate appearances. Third baseman Mike Moustakas is batting .158 and slugging just .193 (!). Billy Butler is hitting .216, but leads the Royals with three homers, 12 RBI and 12 walks and is a certified Tigers killer.

With the Tigers and Royals scheduled to play another 16 games after this week’s three-game set, it doesn’t make sense to place too much importance on the outcome of this series. But losses in April obviously still count and can end up haunting a team in September.

Asserting themselves over the upstart Royals would make a strong statement for Detroit early in the season and help stave off the early-season funks that have made the AL Central races closer than they should’ve been over the past two seasons.

The Tigers should take the opportunity to put the sleeper pick to sleep.

I expected to see that reliever Brayan Villarreal was being demoted to Triple-A Toledo.

Wednesday’s 8-6 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays at Comerica Park is an early candidate for worst loss of the season. Detroit  had a 6-1 lead after the fifth inning, a margin that virtually any major league bullpen should be able to hold.

But the Tigers and manager Jim Leyland are still trying in this early stage of the season to figure out their bullpen. Who is best suited for which role? Which member of the relief corps is eventually going to seize the closer role that the team wasn’t able to fill during spring training?

Though Villarreal wasn’t really considered a candidate to be the Tigers’ closer, I think we can all safely eliminate him from consideration at this point.

His strikeout stuff (averaging 10.4 Ks per nine innings in 59 career appearances) made him an intriguing possibility for the role. However, he and Al Alburquerque are arguably more effective when deployed at different points of a ballgame, rather than restricted to the ninth inning. If Detroit needs to get out of a jam with a strikeout in, say, the seventh inning, Leyland can use either pitcher in that situation.

Or one of them can come into a ballgame with a runner on base and walk three consecutive batters, as Villarreal did on Wednesday. Rather than put out the fire, the 25-year-old right-hander poured gasoline all over the mound and lit a match — much like Jason Grilli used to during his three-plus seasons in Detroit.

After issuing his third walk — which drove in a run, with the bases loaded — Villarreal was mercifully pulled from the game. Octavio Dotel came in to face a situation very few relievers can escape successfully and promptly served up a bases-clearing, three-run double to J.P. Arencibia. All three runs were charged to Villarreal. His line for the day: three runs, three walks, zero hits.

And since he didn’t record an out, how many innings did Villarreal pitch, Dean Wormer?

Giving up three runs and three walks without getting anyone out is no way to get through life, son.

That was the second terrible outing for Villarreal. In his previous appearance, he allowed five runs, four hits and two walks in two-thirds of an inning to the powerhouse Minnesota Twins.

Yes, it’s early in the season. Go ahead and point out that Villarreal has provided a small sample size, one that doesn’t provide enough data to properly judge. That’s fair. MLB.com’s Jason Beck reported that Villarreal found a hitch in his mechanics that needs to be straightened out. But can the Tigers afford to have him work on his delivery in the majors and watch late-inning leads get blown?

No, Villarreal is not the only Detroit reliever struggling. Phil Coke can’t get right-handed hitters out. Joaquin Benoit and Octavio Dotel look like they still have some kinks to work out early in the season. Fortunately, Drew Smyly, Darin Downs and Alburquerque have pitched effectively to this point.

Though sending Villarreal to the Mud Hens seems like an easy decision at this point, who would the Tigers call up to replace him?

Bruce Rondon would probably be the first answer, but if Detroit thought he was ready to pitch in the major leagues, he would’ve been on the team out of spring training. The Tigers surely want to see more than three outings in Toledo from him. The same almost certainly applies to Jose Ortega, Luis Marte or anyone else Detroit could possibly call up.

Maybe Marte should be scratched from that list for now, after allowing two runs, five hits and two walks in two innings during his first two appearances of the year.

At this early point of the season, perhaps the Tigers just need to give their bullpen a chance to get itself right. Putting 11 runs on the board and having Doug Fister go eight innings in Thursday’s win over Toronto gave the relief corps a breather that was probably needed.

Of course, Detroit’s relievers will need to get some work to get sharp. That will surely come during the Tigers’ West Coast road trip beginning this weekend. We’ll see if Villarreal is still on the team as it flies out to Oakland.

Maybe pitching in the relative obscurity of 10:00 p.m. ET game times and getting away from the pressure of local media and fans will help. The Tigers certainly have to hope so.

When the Tigers made the score 6-1 and the end of the fifth inning rolled around, I started to hope the rain would start up again. And I NEVER want a game to end early, especially when I’m listening at work. I’m sure the hearty fans who were there today agreed with me. But I’m also pretty sure the reason was completely different. They wanted to be able to feel their extremities again. I wanted to avoid an appearance by the Tigers’ bullpen.

I waited a bit to write this, so I could calm down some. But I’m still steamed. Toronto wrapped this one up in a bow and handed it to the Tigers, who promptly said “No, really. You’re too kind. We can’t accept this.” Villareal continued his hate-hate relationship with the strike zone and walked the only three batters he faced, all of whom scored on Mark DeRosa’s double. He was allowed to walk the bases loaded because the rest of Leyland’s bullpen has been, to put it nicely, inconsistent. Dotel took over and decided that batting practice fastballs were the way to go. Although he did make what will no doubt be a highlight show staple with his five-hole play on a comebacker. At least he didn’t break his arm.

The bullpen issues, like the ones in Minnesota, could probably be attributed to the crappy weather conditions. It sure looked like Toronto’s pitchers were affected as well. I really want to reserve judgement on this crew until there’s a bigger sample size and more baseball-conducive weather. But I’m a fan. And I’m angry, and right now I want Villareal sent as far from a major league pitcher’s mound as possible.

Porcello pitched well, but needs to start finishing off his good outings. And I hate to harp on it, because they scored six runs, but the offense once again squandered chances to cash in on seemingly ripe RBI situations.

I know it’s early, and since they left Minneapolis, they’ve played pretty well, but games like this one reminded me too much of last year’s early-to-midseason struggles, and I really don’t want to go through that again.

I wonder if Todd Jones is busy…

Back in my Bless You Boys days, I came up with “Morning Prowl” for the title to our links posts. I figured that was something I’d have to leave at BYB, and I think Kurt, Al and the gang would’ve been fine keeping it. I hope they don’t mind us using it here.

However, in these days of SEO and keyword-rich titles, a headline without “Detroit Tigers” in it doesn’t really bring in the traffic. Not that we’re overly concerned such stuff here at The Daily Fungo, but it’s nice to know we can be a little more creative with our titles and headlines.

Anyway, it’s been a while since I’ve done links posts at BYB or MLive, so I might have to shake some rust off. That includes knowing where to look for good stuff. Hopefully, most of these links will be new to you.

•• If Tigers manager Jim Leyland thought Phil Coke could get over his inability to pitch effectively versus right-handed hitters, the lefty’s performance in his first three appearances of the season have shown him otherwise.

Coke allowed a .396 batting average and 1.050 OPS against righties last year. Not really what you’d like to see from a potential closer. Yet Leyland figured he’d give Coke a try in that match-up, apparently. To little surprise, it hasn’t gone well.

The Detroit News‘ Lynn Henning tries to figure out why Coke struggles so much against righties. Coke isn’t throwing his secondary pitches, but that might be because he’s not locating his fastball properly and can’t work from there. [Detroit News]

•• Should Darin Downs be Detroit’s closer? That’s one of many observations Motor City Bengals’ John Verburg has about the Tigers and AL Central. [Motor City Bengals]

•• It’s looking more like Joaquin Benoit could be the ninth-inning man for the Tigers, as much as Leyland doesn’t want the media to label anyone as “the closer” right now. Personally, I’ve always thought Benoit was signed to a three-year deal to take over for Jose Valverde after his contract expired. [Oakland Press]

•• Robert Sanchez wrote a heartbreaking feature on Max Scherzer,  his brother Alex and the family’s attempt to cope with Alex’s suicide that is definitely worth your time to read. The pictures alone are extremely touching. [ESPN.com]

•• Does Al Alburquerque commit a balk every time he delivers a pitch? That’s what New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi tried to argue during Saturday’s 8-4 loss to the Tigers. Major league umpires obviously don’t agree. [MLB.com]

•• Leyland is giving utility infielder Ramon Santiago a chance to keep his spot on the roster, starting him at second base on Saturday and shortstop on Sunday. Santiago went 1-for-8 in the two games, which surely didn’t boost his manager’s confidence. Will he make it through the season with the Tigers? [MLive.com]

•• Are you still in disbelief that Jason Grilli is the Pittsburgh Pirates’ closer? (Did you even know Grilli was the Pirates’ closer?) After posting a 2.91 ERA with 90 strikeouts in 58.2 innings last year, the former Tigers reliever got the nod in Pittsburgh. In two appearances this season, Grilli hasn’t allowed a run and he’s excited about the opportunity he’s been given.  [Yahoo! Sports]

So perhaps we haven’t seen the last of Jose Valverde in a Tigers uniform after all.

Chris Iott reports Valverde signed a minor-league deal …

with no major-league commitment from the Detroit Tigers — general manager Dave Dombrowski announced late this morning.

Valverde will report to extended spring training in Lakeland and face some hitters before joining Triple-A Toledo.

Is this a sign of desperation after yesterday’s ninth-inning loss to the Twins? Not according to the story; the Tigers watched Valverde pitch recently and liked what they saw – more zip on the heater and a good splitter.

So Bruce Rondon, was probably thinking he might have to compete with Valverde in Spring Training, if the Tigers re-signed him. He likely didn’t figure he’d have to compete or pitch alongside Valverde in Toledo.

If nothing else, it will be an interesting Papa Grande Watch for the next 30 days.

• April 5, 1983: Tigers 11 – Twins 3
• April 4, 1984: Tigers 8 – Twins 1
• April 1, 1996: Twins 8 – Tigers 6
• April 1, 1997: Twins 7 – Tigers 5
• March 31, 2003: Twins 3 – Tigers 1

Last year on Opening Day the Tigers beat the Red Sox 3-2. You might recall that Jose Valverde began his season the way it would end six months later: with a blown save. Before that, though, Justin Verlander was tremendous: eight innings of two-hit, shutout baseball: with seven Ks. Austin Jackson delivered the winning run in the ninth with a single to left.

Around the Central:

Today

Royals (Shields) @ White Sox (Sale), 4:10 ET

Tuesday

Indians (Masterson) @ Blue Jays (Dickey), 7:07 ET

Minutiae

Happy Birthday, Will Rhymes, 30; Rusty Staub, 69; and Ron Perranoski, 77.

Finally, no matter what our expectations are for the Tigers this year – or any other – they will never be lower than what we fans experienced 10 years ago. And to help us keep that perspective, this year we will be charting the 2003 Tigers right alongside the ’13 club. And watch as they go in distinctly different directions.

Enjoy the game.

Note to self, pro tip, etc.: Trying to get started on a blog the same week that area schools are on spring break, thus leaving little nieces at home to be supervised (and entertained), is not the best idea.

Of course, that inability to be productive was exacerbated when the Tigers sent reliever Bruce Rondon to Class AAA Toledo and signed Justin Verlander to a five-year, $140 million contract extension.

The better blogger thing to do would be to write separate posts on each subject. The Verlander news, especially, deserves its own entry. Clearly, I’m still in spring training mode.

But for now, with the 2013 season just hours away from beginning, let’s just get a few thoughts out there.

Plenty of people — fans, reporters, analysts — are surely ready to say “I told you so” about Rondon. (We should include Scott Boras, agent for reliever Rafael Soriano, among them.)

Being the closer for a World Series contender was a heavy responsibility for a pitcher who has yet to throw a pitch in the major leagues.

That’s not to say Rondon couldn’t have handled it. Now we’ll never know, of course. But Rondon didn’t look like he was quite ready for the pressure of the job. Not with a 5.84 ERA in Grapefruit League play with 17 hits allowed in 12. 1 innings.

Rondon’s 19 strikeouts show the firepower that made him an appealing closer candidate in the first place.

But his walk total had to be the largest concern. Rondon issued nine during the spring. That’s hardly an improvement over the 44 walks he threw in 53 innings (an average of 4.4 per nine frames) last season in the minors.

If there’s one thing Jim Leyland — or any MLB manager — isn’t going to tolerate, it’s putting runners on base, creating potential big innings and squandering leads (and wins with them).

That would apply to any major league team, let alone one that has championship aspirations.

But as George Sipple wrote in the Detroit Free Press, there’s just too much Rondon still needs to work on to be an effective major league reliever.

Leyland said he believes Rondon, who throws more than 100-m.p.h., needs to master his two- and four-seam fastball and slider. Others in the organization, according to Leyland, thought he also needed to master a fourth pitch — the change-up.

The pure stuff — topping 100 mph — is an excellent foundation to build on. However, the Tigers clearly think he still has to learn what Leyland has often called “the art of pitching.”

Adding a pitch with some bend to it would certainly be an asset. So would an off-speed weapon that could disrupt hitters’ timing. But Leyland acknowledges that the kid can only learn so much this season. Closers don’t typically feature four pitches in their arsenal.

(And if the Tigers should have derived any lesson from calling up pitchers like Jeremy Bonderman and Rick Porcello before they had a chance to properly develop, it’s that secondary pitches have to be learned in the minors.)

Despite beginning the season in Toledo, the chances of Rondon still being the Tigers’ closer this year could still be pretty good. After all, Leyland didn’t name anyone to be the ninth-inning guy. The Tigers are going with the ol’ “closer by committee” approach.

Personally, I don’t think that approach works. It should work. Any competent major league pitcher should be able to get three outs with no opposing runners on base and a lead to protect.

The Tigers also have  their deepest bullpen in years, with Joaquin Benoit, Octavio Dotel and Phil Coke capable of handling ninth-inning duties. Al Alburquerque should probably be included in that mix as well.

Ideally, one of those relievers would eventually establish himself as the closer or at least provide a stopgap until Rondon is ready. But the depth should allow Leyland to mix and match.

It’s possible that the Tigers’ relief corps is already used to the idea of a different guy getting the call, depending on the situation or match-up. That’s how Leyland managed his bullpen last postseason when Jose Valverde was no longer a trustworthy option.

Yet some relievers are obviously better suited to the closer role than others.  And though it’s not something that can be quantified, I believe pitchers — and any athlete, really — wants to know what their role is going to be each day when they get to the ballpark.

They want to know if they’ll get the call in the ninth inning. If they’re going to pitch the eighth, they want to know that. They want to know if they’re going to face the opponent’s best left-handed hitter late in a game. Knowing their role helps pitchers mentally prepare for the task at hand.

With the Tigers a strong favorite to win the American League pennant and advance to their second straight World Series, it doesn’t seem like the right year to conduct a grand experiment with the bullpen.

Yet Leyland and general manager Dave Dombrowski didn’t leave themselves much wiggle room.

The Tigers took the chance that Rondon could win the closer  job in spring training. It was a risk worth taking, as paying big money for free-agent closers just hasn’t worked all that well for Detroit (Valverde’s 49-save 2011 season excepted). And as mentioned above, the bullpen has plenty of other candidates who pitch in that role, even if they aren’t flashy names.

So sending Rondon down to the Mud Hens and going with a closer carousel is the right move to begin the season. Better that than risk Rondon getting shelled, the Tigers losing games and the pressure building on all involved.

But someone will eventually have to establish himself as the closer. Jason Motte did it with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011 and Sergio Romo asserted himself with the San Francisco Giants last season.

Who’s going to seize the opportunity this year for the Tigers?

Author’s Note: A commenter pointed out that Rondon wasn’t “demoted” because he hadn’t actually made the major league roster. That’s certainly correct and I probably should have used a more appropriate term, but I think the point of the overall post still stands. The correction is appreciated, however.

Another re-introduction is in order. Following Ian Casselberry’s triumphant return to this blog, there’s another less-anticipated, and much less-accomplished blogger coming back to the Fungo fold: me, Jim Craddock. Mike was kind enough to let me share my occasional musings on baseball and the Tigers a while back, and I’m honored and thankful that he’s extended the invitation again. Just so you know what you’re getting, I would like to paraphrase Crash Davis in Bull Durham as I explain my Tiger Baseball belief system:

I believe Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, and Jack Morris should be in the Hall of Fame
I believe that a HOF case can be made for Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan, too.
I believe I miss Paul Carey doing ballgames as much as I miss Ernie Harwell
I believe Cincinnati is pronounced Cincinatt-uh, because that’s how George Kell did it.
I believe the MVP voters should have waited until AFTER September 1st to turn in their ballots in 1987.
I believe that Randy Smith’s name should never be spoken aloud without immediately spitting.
I believe that goes for Tom Monaghan, too. Because the Tiger careers of Lance Parrish, Kirk Gibson, and Ernie Harwell should never have been interrupted.
I believe that Dave Dombrowski is Mike Ilich’s baseball equivalent to Jimmy Devellano…
I also believe it’s a shame that it took him a decade to find him.
I believe Magglio Ordonez was worth every penny he made in Detroit.
I believe we could make three more trades with the Marlins and we’d still be on the plus side of the ledger because of Miggy.
I believe Triple Crown = MVP.
I believe the Tigers will win the division…every year
…and finally, I believe Opening Day should be a national holiday.

I have other, less Tiger-centric baseball beliefs, but those will have to wait for another post.

Well, hello there. My name is Ian Casselberry.

You may remember me from such baseball blogs as Bless You Boys and Big League Stew.

I’ve also written for MLive.com. And over the past year, I was a MLB lead writer for Bleacher Report, primarily covering the National League.

Writing about the “other league” was fun because I’d mostly been an AL guy (and Tigers guy) previously and I enjoyed the opportunity to cover teams I didn’t always get to watch. I particularly enjoyed following the Washington Nationals last year as they emerged as a World Series contender.

But I certainly missed writing about — and watching — the Tigers last year. I’d sneak a game in when I could, especially when Detroit played a matinee. For most of the season, I felt like some old friends were off having fun without me and I’d just hear about it on Facebook.

Fortunately, the Tigers took care of that for me with their postseason run, making them a team I got to write about frequently in October. If only the season would have ended the way we hoped…

I left B/R back in February, however, and wanted writing about baseball to be fun again.

Whenever a character is rebooted in comic books or movies, the new creators often say they’re taking him “back to his roots.” Let’s remember that Superman is ultimately a farm boy from Kansas or that Peter Parker is always trying to make up for not using his powers to stop a crime when he could have.

OK, that’s a bit loftier than whatever it is I’m doing.

Yet I started out blogging to give myself an outlet when I lived in Iowa and most of my friends and fellow fans lived back in Michigan. I wrote about the Tigers because no one seemed to be writing what I wanted to read at the time.

That doesn’t quite apply now. There is a lot of excellent writing on the Tigers available now. The Tigersosphere is strong.

But I miss writing about my favorite baseball team. If I’m trying to “get back to my roots” and make writing fun again, the Tigers have to play a role in that. So here I am.

I’ve wanted to team up with Mike McClary and write for The Daily Fungo for years. However, something always seemed to prevent me from doing so.

When I first planned to contribute to the Fungo after the 2006 season, I got an offer from SB Nation to run Bless You Boys. Three years later, I was ready to help Mike out again, but was offered a gig at the now-defunct (editorially speaking) SB Nation Detroit. Soon thereafter, I joined the crew at Big League Stew.

So now that I’ve written my first post here, I expect an e-mail from Grantland shortly.

Just kidding.

Anyway, that’s probably far too long and self-indulgent of an introduction. I’m excited about blogging on the Tigers again. Mike has some cool plans I hope he gets to follow through on.

It’s going to be a fun year. I hope to do all I can to get you coming back here to read more. Thanks for following.

It’s been two weeks since the Baseball Hall of Fame announced that not a single player would be enshrined this summer. Not Jack Morris. Not Alan Trammell. Not Kenny Lofton. Not anyone.

Leading up to that not-surprising-yet-disappointing announcement by Hall President Jeff Idelson, I listened to the pro-Morris and anti-Morris crowds shout their claims as to why the man either belonged in Cooperstown or would become, at best, the pitching version of Jim Rice: a solid major leaguer with some notable accomplishments but not worthy of a call from the Hall.

With one year of eligibility remaining, Morris hovers close to the 75 percent required for election; this year he appeared on 67.7 percent of writers’ ballots. Tram appeared on just 33.6 percent. I keep thinking Morris’ day will come but after reading Rob Neyer’s analysis, I’m thinking neither star from the ’84 team will end up with a plaque in the Hall of Fame. A few years ago, on ye olde podcast, Lynn Henning told me that he didn’t think Morris would get in but that Trammell would … some day.

Here’s what Rob said:

This was Biggio’s — and Jeff Bagwell‘s, and Mike Piazza‘s, and Curt Schilling‘s, and Alan Trammell‘s, and Jack Morris‘s, and Tim Raines‘s, and everyone else’s — best chance for a while. For them, what’s next is a lot of years hoping for a phone call that won’t come.

(And if you want some more on the Morris thing, read Rob’s column from last week. Yowza.)

The goodwill for Trammell seems to grow every year but it never translate into votes. Maybe that’s because he still has three more years on the ballot, who knows? Nevertheless, Sports Illustrated‘s Jay Jaffe says Tram belongs:

While that’s reassuring as far as justice eventually being served, Trammell deserves better than to have to wait. He held his own among the great shortstops of the 1980s and ’90s in his day, and he deserves his spot alongside them in Cooperstown.

But then I got to thinking: Does it even matter if Trammell and Morris aren’t in the Hall of Fame? Does it matter they might not ever get in?

No, it doesn’t matter. At least not to me. Is this fueled by resignation? Sure, to some degree.

The more I read about their respective candidacies, the more I enjoyed being reminded of their careers with the Tigers and the truckloads of memories they provided for more than a decade. Long-time readers of this site know I’m a die-hard Morris fan, my first-ever Tigers game coinciding with his first major-league win. And I’ll never forget how Trammell put the Tigers on his back the final week of the 1987 season to clinch a division title.

Of course I want to see my favorite players in the Hall of Fame. But if they aren’t, does it mean they aren’t among the best players ever to play the game? Nope. At the very least, they’re among the best players ever to play for the Tigers.

And there’s nothing wrong with that.

How thick is the lens in a pair of Oakley sunglasses? I don’t own the instruments to determine the precise measurement but I think it’s safe to say thick enough to not only protect Miguel Cabrera‘s eye but sturdy enough to save his season, possibly his career, and almost assuredly make a Triple Crown season possible.

In my lifetime, the Tigers haven’t had a player like Cabrera – or anyone close  for that matter. Even the best players I grew up watching Jason Thompson, Steve Kemp, Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Lance Parrish, Kirk Gibson and Cecil Fielder, rarely assembled a season in any one offensive category that compares to what Cabrera did in three of the biggest in 2012.

In case you’ve forgotten, here’s a rundown of the countless ways he demolished major-league pitching (courtesy of the Tigers postseason media notes). Cabrera:

• Led the American League with a .330 batting average, 44 home runs and 139 RBI to become the first player to win the Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski did so in 1967. It marked the 14th time since 1900 a player captured the Triple Crown and Cabrera is the 12th player to accomplish the feat during that time. He’s the second Tigers player to do so, joining Ty Cobb (1909). He also joined Cobb by winning the A.L. batting title for the second straight season. The Peach did it in three straight seasons, from 1917-19.
• Topped the American League with 377 total bases, 84 extra-base hits and a .606 slugging percentage, while he finished second with 109 runs scored and 205 hits, fourth with a .393 on-base percentage and seventh with 40 doubles.
• Became the first Tigers player to connect for 40-or-more home runs in a season since Cecil Fielder hit 44 in 1991. It marks the 10th time in club history a Tigers player has hit 40-or-more home runs in a season and Cabrera is the sixth player in franchise history to do so. What’s more, he became the first player in Tigers history to belt 30-or-more home runs in five straight seasons.
• Collected 139 RBI during the season, marking the fifth straight season he has posted 100-or-more RBI for the Tigers – he became only the third player in Tigers history to collect 100-or-more RBI in at least five straight seasons. Hall of Famer Harry Heilmann drove in 100-or-more runs in seven straight seasons (1923-29), and Charlie Gehringer did so in five straight seasons (1932-36).
• Finished with 40 doubles and 44 home runs during the season, joining Hank Greenberg as the only two players in Tigers history to collect 40-or-more doubles and 40-or-more home runs during the same season. Greenberg accomplished the feat for Detroit in both 1937 and 1940.
• Knocked 205 hits during the season, marking the first time he has finished with 200-or-more hits during a season – he became the 21st player in Tigers history to collect 200-or-more hits during a season.
• Recorded 377 total bases during the season, marking the fifth straight season he has posted 300-or-more total bases for the Tigers – he became the first player in club history to post 300-or-more total bases in five consecutive seasons.

To the chagrin of many, this not only added up to a Triple Crown, it was the case for Cabrera winning the A.L. Most Valuable Player Award. His 2012 season might never be duplicated by a Tigers player – unless Cabrera himself matches it. For me, regardless of whether his award-winning season was universally acclaimed, it was thrilling to watch day in and day out and it is easily the top Tigers story in 2012.

And to think if not for a thin plastic lens we might not have witnessed it at all.
–

The Top 10 Stories of 2012

• #10 – Brandon Inge Released
• #9 – Brennan Boesch Vanishes
• #8 – The Black Hole at Second Base
• #7 – Tigers trade for Sanchez and Infante
• #6 – Tigers win American League Central 
• #5 – Victor Martinez Lost for Season
• #4 – Tigers Sign Prince Fielder
• #3 – Max Scherzer Arrives
• #2 – Tigers Win the Pennant

Given how the Tigers’ 2012 season went, months of frustration and a division title that came at the 11th hour, a trip to the World Series was far from assured. Far.

As dominoes fell late in the year, the Tigers ALDS opponent depended on which team, the A’s or Rangers, won the A.L. West. They might play the Orioles. Or the A’s. Or the Yankees. No matter which club they played in the first round, a bad match up could’ve been awaiting the Tigers.

In the end, it was the red-hot A’s which vanquished the Rangers in a stunning sweep to end the season. The good news was that the series, thanks to baseball’s new two-three scheduling, started at Comerica Park and not in Oakland where the A’s had mixed up an amazing collection of comeback wins in 2012. Even with Justin Verlander starting Game 1 against rookie Jarrod Parker, the A’s had a kind of juju that made Tigers fans (at least this one) nervous.

A leadoff  home run by Coco Crisp didn’t help. But the Tigers cobbled together enough offense to take the game 3-1. (And who knew we’d witnessed Jose Valverde‘s final save as Tigers closer. More on that in a moment.)

Game 2 featured shaky relief work by Joaquin Benoit and walkoff heroics by Don Kelly to secure a 5-4 win and a 2-0 series lead. Out in Oakland, the series tightened after the A’s won Game 3 and mounted a late comeback in Game 4 to force a winner-take-all Game 5. Thankfully, Verlander was locked in and the Tigers offense gave him plenty of support to send Detroit to the ALCS for the second consecutive year – but this time against the Yankees.

Was I alone in thinking the Tigers were due for the Yankees to exact revenge for New York’s 2006 and 2011 exits? No? Well, I prepared myself for that possibility.

The ALCS got off to a tremendous start in Game 1 with the Tigers leading 4-0 heading to the bottom of the ninth. That’s when Valverde brought to life the worst-case scenario – one like fans witnessed in Game 4 of the ALDS when he surrendered three runs to give the A’s a walkoff win. This time, Valverde gave up four runs on a pair of two-run shots, the first by Ichiro and then one by Raul Ibanez.

In the top of the 12th a Jhonny Peralta ground ball to Derek Jeter changed the series dramatically and for good. Jeter landed awkwardly and saw his season end with a broken ankle. The Tigers scored two in the inning and Drew Smyly shut down New York in the bottom half to earn Detroit an exhausting 1-0 series lead.

The rest of the series was filled with intriguing story lines: Phil Coke‘s emergence as closer, Anibal Sanchez‘s brilliant Game 2 shutout, the Yankees’ offensive drought.

Even though the series ended in a sweep,  it wasn’t completely dominant. Other than in the 8-1 Game 4 win, the Tigers didn’t pile on the runs. Sure, they scored six in Game 1 but only because Valverde didn’t allow the first four runs to stand up. In Games 2 and 3 they scored a combined five runs. But the Yankees scored six in the entire series – and who saw that coming?

The same people who predicted a Tigers sweep of the Yankees to with the American League pennant.

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The Top 10 Stories of 2012

• #10 – Brandon Inge Released
• #9 – Brennan Boesch Vanishes
• #8 – The Black Hole at Second Base
• #7 – Tigers trade for Sanchez and Infante
• #6 – Tigers win American League Central 
• #5 – Victor Martinez Lost for Season
• #4 – Tigers Sign Prince Fielder
• #3 – Max Scherzer Arrives