Tigers Might As Well Celebrate

The baseball wonks liked the Twins' chances of taking three of four against the Tigers for a couple of reasons.

The Tigers assigned Eddie Bonine and Nate Robertson to pitch in the final two games of the series, and the Tigers struggled against Twins starter Carl Pavano.

Tonight's game proved that trends and predictions are useless.

Bonine stymied the Twins, while the Tigers hit Pavano. In the end, the Tigers took total command of the series by accomplishing a 7-2 victory.

This might as well be game, set, and match.

The Twins needed to win tonight's game for a shot to win the series tomorrow afternoon. Winning the series could have put the Twins in a good position to win the division.

Now, it could be the Tigers celebrating a divisional title. It's hard to believe the Twins have anything left after what took place tonight.

This loss deflates the Twins, while this victory spurs the Tigers to go for the kill tomorrow  afternoon.

Simply put, Bonine outpitched Pavano.

He knew how to get out of a jam, despite giving up two runs in the first inning. Had he fallen apart, this game would have been over and he would be out of the game in the first.

Instead, he pitched well for the rest of the night by forcing the Twins to hit grounders to the infield.

As for Pavano, he failed to deliver. He worked all night to survive, but in the end, the Tigers got the best of him by stroking key hits in situations which gave up Tiger runs.

It's a good thing baseball is not played based on paper or what the experts think.

It's always about who performs.

The Tigers liked their chances in this game for a couple of reasons.

For one thing, Bonine pitched well in his last start against the White Sox by matching up well against Jake Peavy. He made one mistake by giving up a home run, but other than that, it's hard to quibble what he did.

Despite Pavano's record against the Tigers, the Tigers quietly felt good about hitting him. It's not like the Twins starter was Justin Verlander.

Pavano gets by more often than not, and the Tigers felt they could expose him. In Pavano's last start against the Detroit, the Tigers hit the ball well against him. That should made them feel good about themselves.

The AL Central division leader had no pressure to win this series. Even if the Twins took the series, they were in good shape knowing they got several more home games to win the division.

The Tigers felt good knowing that it would be impossible for the Twins to win the series at Comerica Park, where the home team rarely loses.

For the Twins to rely on Pavano to save their season—well that's absurd. It shows the weakness of the starting rotation despite how the Twins starters perform while being inserted in the rotation several weeks ago.

Now, the Tigers will likely taste champagne tomorrow afternoon.

Tonight determined the division winner for all intents and purposes.