Rick Osentoski- USA TODAY Sports
There are 28 games left in the Detroit Tigers‘ season but if the next three go well, the Tigers will be more concerned about playoff positioning than playoff battling.
The Tigers host the Cleveland Indians for the final time this season, and it is the last chance the Indians have to make a meaningful run at the AL Central. The Indians have had several chances to close the gap, but each time they have fallen short, and the Tigers are hoping that this weekend is just another missed opportunity for them.
It has been a bumpy ride lately for the Tigers, but the ride is starting to smooth out and the finish line is getting closer and closer. Up 6.5 games on the Indians, really all that is required for the Tigers to seal up this division is two out of three — but a sweep would be a reverberating punch that even Mike Tyson would be proud of.
It was about this point last season that the Tigers sprinted away from everyone in the AL Central and claimed their spot on top in dominant fashion, and no doubt the Tigers will want to do a similar run this year, and they have the schedule remaining to do it.
It’s time for the Tigers to stick the final fork into this race. If momentum plays a role in baseball, then you have to really like the Tigers’ chances to win this series at minimum, if not outright sweep it.
As the calendar turns to September, the Tigers are starting to rev the engines up, and their engine is a lot more expensive and powerful than any engine the rest of the division has. It’s time for this team to fly by these other mediocre vehicles.
