Gary Sheffield just stole his 18th base of the season.
That puts him on pace for about 27 stolen bases this year. He also has 23 home runs, well ahead of pace to hit 30.
It's a longshot, but not really as long as one might expect. No one over the age of 32 has ever accomplished the 30-30 feat. Sheffield is 38 years old.
It's hard to say what being in a pennant race will do. On one side, Sheffield will do anything to help the team, but on another side, if the Tigers either start to run away with it or fall out of the race and he needs a few swipes to put him over the hump, he might as well try for it. Either way, having him pretty healthy has been great. Unfortunately the pitching staff and a lot of every day players have had their bumps and bruises.
This season is in danger of falling apart. As we speak, the Devil Rays hit a home run and got a 3-0 lead after 4 1/2 innings, and the Tigers look to be on the outside looking in for the first time since April.
All is not lost, however. The big series against Cleveland and New York come later this month with five against the Indians and eight against the Yankees. If the Tigers do not at least split those thirteen games, they are in dire straits going into August.
However, they have already used more players than they did all of last season. If they stay this close, don't look for a call-up for Cameron Maybin, or any play by any minor leaguers like they did with Kevin Hooper in Kansas City last year. It is going to be a tough September. Hopefully, my prediction is right that the Tigers will win the division on the season's final day, because the wild card is starting to not look so attainable...
