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It'll be tough to stop the unstoppable

October 20, 2006

Offense

Bishop: The Tigers have been nearly unstoppable lately. They have lit up some great pitchers during the playoffs. Placido Polanco has been straight cash, while Magglio Ordoñez has decided to make his presence felt, so that's nice. And then you have Curtis Granderson doing his thing, and then whichever DH Jim Leyland pulls out of his Hat O' Magic is doing quite nicely.

Nowak: The Tigers have the opportunity to show the world that their style of baseball is not a fluke and can take them all the way. They have made it the entire season as a unit, with no standouts (although there should have been quite a few more in July) and a lot of players who were once counted out. Get the bunt down, move the runner along, hit the opposite way and have some good at-bats. Last, but not least, bring home a title.

Defense

Bishop: Carlos Guillen? He's bad. Rest of the team: Pretty darn good. If the Tigers can avoid letting any balls to be hit to shortstop (or right field), they will certainly be in good position here. Granderson's defensive numbers have been amazing. He has made, like, one error all year. That's pretty sick.

Nowak: Pudge Rodriguez, Craig Monroe and Guillen. Pudge and Monroe both bring a spark to the defense that can boost the Tigers and shut down their opponents. Guillen's defensive importance is just that he maintains the status quo. He's the worst defensive shortstop in the league. As long as he doesn't make an error with a runner on base, the team is safe. Since his three assists against the Rangers, C-Mo hasn't flashed his outfield arm. And please, God — once, let me see Pudge nab somebody in a strike-'em-out, throw-'em-out double play.

Pitching

Bishop: This is where the Tigers blow every team away. Would you want to face Justin Verlander when he has more than a week of rest? Ask Alex Rodriguez how that worked out for him. The rest of the starters aren't too shabby and the bullpen has been lights-out lately. Fernando Rodney is a gas can that can blow up at any second, but someone must be using a fire extinguisher on him before he enters the game.

Nowak: Middle relief. When people say the Tigers' pitching rotation is young and has thrown more innings than is good for them, it's true. The staff is full of young starting arms that haven't failed fans — yet. If Jason Grilli, Jamie Walker, Wil Ledezma and Rodney can keep the Tigers' lead or keep them close, the table is set for Joel Zumaya and Todd Jones, who have been Mr. and Mr. Dependable this season.

Manager

Bishop: I've only had two complaints with Leyland. His unwillingness to bunt and Neifi Freaking Perez. Other than that, whatever this man has touched has quickly become gold. It's really amazing. It will be interesting to see how he manages under National League rules, but the man did it forever, so I don't really foresee any problems.

Nowak: There isn't a single thing that you can say Leyland hasn't done well. He has managed a young pitching staff and an inexperienced lineup, raising the limit for the Tigers from the AL Central cellar to the sky. He even made Alexis Gomez and Perez look like stars. It doesn't matter who he's up against or what he has to work with. Jim Leyland is the Manager of the Year.

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Bench

Bishop: I doubt Leyland will stick to the same lineup, so who gets the DH spot in the first two games will be interesting. It depends on the pitching matchups. I'm not too confident in their pinch-hitting options, but like I said before, odd people have been coming through lately.

Nowak: "The outlook wasn't brilliant for the (Detroit) nine that day. … They thought, "If only Casey could but get a whack at that. We'd put up even money now, with Casey at the bat." Never have Ernest L. Thayer's words held more true than this postseason. In August, Tigers fans would cringe to see Sean Casey step up to the plate. Now, having seen the residual effect of his absence, we'd love to have him back. So far, the domino-like change in the lineup hasn't blown up in Leyland's face, but how long will Ramon Santiago, Perez, Omar Infante and Guillen last in their shuffled positions?

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