By the Numbers...

Ok. I agree. Way to early to analyze baseball statistics. But, why not take a look anyway... I've put together, using MLB.com, a look at where the Tigers stand in relation to the entire league and just the American League. Also, I threw the White Sox in as a quasi-standard. These statistics were put together 4/27/06, the Tigers were 13-8 at the time.

Overall, The Tigers hitting (at least statistically) is a little less than average. However, their team batting average puts them among the top 1/3 in the league. Also, they are knocking a lot of balls out of the park, which is a good sign. Keep in mind they haven't played many home games yet, and as "Juan-Gone" will testify, Comerica is not an ideal home run hitting park.
Tiger pitching seems to be a bright spot this year. The addition of Kenny Rogers has worked out nicely. He is 3-2 with a 3.21 ERA (and due for a nice 3 game "W" streak). Mike Moroth pitched his first loss of the year yesterday, but still has a 3-1 record and and outstanding 1.85 ERA. Maybe the biggest difference between this and recent years is relief pitching. Todd Jones is back and has been perfect. He has 3 saves on 3 attempts. Closer Fernando Rodney has been completely and utterly stellar with 4 saves on 4 attempts. More importantly he has pitched 9 innings without giving up a single run. As you can see above the Tigers rank very high around the league in major pitching statistical categories. Especially ERA, which is arguably the most meaningful pitching stat. ERA is the bottom line, and the Tigers' bottom line is great thus far. If this pitching is sustained, it would be hard to believe the Tigers won't continue to play over .500 ball through the season.

Last Thought: So far the Tigers have kept me very interested this season. Excited? Close, but still a bit early to open myself up for disappointment. Remember, like the Lions, the Tigers have been too bad for too long to be overly joyed after 21 games. But, I hope this is sustained... Because come June, the Pistons' and Wings' seasons will be played to conclusion... And if the Tigers have slumped by then, well, I just rather not think about it right now.

~Bladdy
bladdy_blog@hotmail.com