The Detroit Tigers beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-2 yesterday to complete a series sweep...
Big deal...
Baseball Tonight reported that it was their first sweep since last year's ALCS. They made it sound like it has been forever since they completed a sweep.
First of all, the Tigers are only 27 games into this season. On average, that is nine series. A lot of good teams go a lot longer than nine series over the course of the season more than once between sweeps. The more important thing is that the Tigers have not been swept.
Pulling the third game out against Minnesota was huge. Coming back against the Orioles a couple of times was great, but if they had lost the third game of the series, they still would have won the series. If you win every season series and split the two and four game series, you win 99 games. That will win any division, and it will put your team in the playoffs.
The Tigers did lose two series earlier this season, though. They lost 2-1 to the White Sox, and then 2-1 to the Twins. What this sweep does is erases one of those two series losses. That's all it does. Nothing more.
Before the end of the season, the Tigers will get swept, and they will sweep more teams. It's math. It's all but inevitable, but it is far from necessary. It also is far from being big news that they went one month without completing a series sweep.
Face it. This team is 16-11. That's good. This team is 1 1/2 games behind Cleveland--a team they have yet to play. They are within striking distance of first place after the first month of the season. You are not going to win the pennant in the first 60 days of the season, but it is extremely possible to lose it. The Tigers did not lose it.
They did it with Sheffield not hitting for most of the month. Ordonez wasn't hitting until about the 22nd. Inge is still below .200 (though he is 7 for his last 22 which is .318), and the pitching staff hasn't been great. But they are finding ways to win games. Rodney had his bad spell, but looked brilliant against Baltimore. Zumaya couldn't find the strike zone, and then he couldn't get anyone to swing and miss. That seems over as well. With all the troubles seemingly everyone but Placido Polanco has had for a stretch, this team is still tied for the most wins in the division.
Now, it is time to start playing, though. 16-11 is good, not great, but good. What is great is 16-11 with your top hitter not hitting and your top pitcher on the DL, your rookie phenom not getting out of the third and your replacement fifth starter seldom pitching enough to get credit for a win. What is great is this team is 16-11 with its eighth inning guy with four losses because of a rough patch. What is great is this team is 16-11 with the way its 7,8,9 hitters have been hitting.
The Tigers could just as easy be 11-16 had a couple bounces gone another way. They could also just as easy be 19-8 if they could win in extra innings. Neither of these is true, though. They are 16-11, in a good position to make a run. Another 16-11 month, and they are 10 games over .500, on pace for 30 games over .500 in a six month season. 30 games over .500 is 96 wins, which will make the playoffs in any season.
Now, if they sweep the Royals this weekend...
