Detroit Tigers Should Feel Good Heading Home

The Detroit Tigers should feel good coming home after their first road series win since June 11.

Dropping two out of three in Oakland could have easily set the tone for another lousy road trip. Who would have been surprised? The Tigers are the only division leader with a sub-.500 winning percentage away from home.

Instead of giving into the road woes of the past two months, the Tigers came through to play playoff baseball against another likely playoff team by taking two out of three from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Even more important than picking up a few road wins, the Tigers were able to increase their lead in the central division.

Perhaps it was the banging bats that woke this team from its slumber. Angels ace Jered Weaver was knocked around to the tune of five earned runs in five and one-third innings en route to Detroit's 10-7 win on Monday Night.

Miguel Cabrera reminded us all not to count him out of the AL MVP race. All he did was go 12-for-24 with three home runs and 10 runs driven in. The big guy deserves some rest on the plane home after carrying the team through Oakland and Anaheim.

Perhaps the pitching should get the credit for breaking the road slump. It has been the pitchers that have made the 2009 Tigers playoff contenders. Rather than pressing while the offense sputters, Detroit hurlers have been steady all season long.

Justin Verlander defined "ace" while allowing the Tigers to build a 10-0 lead Monday night prior to losing his feel in the sixth.

Jarrod Washburn put together six gutty innings to give his team the opportunity to win the game on Tuesday Night. He picked a perfect time for his first victory as a Tiger.

Fernando Rodney shut the door on both victories in LA. It isn't always pretty, but he gets the job done. His 28 saves in 29 opportunities is the second best percentage in the AL.

But the defense also deserves credit. Brandon Inge's diving snag to start a double play saved Washburn from a potentially disastrous first inning. Clete Thomas saved the day with his leaping catch of a Kendry Morales deep fly ball. Curtis Granderson continued his Gold Glove-caliber play in the same outfield as perennial Gold Glove winner Torii Hunter.

I don't believe the Tigers were able to break their road malaise because of any one of these reasons. It was because they did them all. This was arguably their most impressive series since their sweep of the A's from May 15-17. The Detroit Tigers baseball team was just that, a TEAM.