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There are guys who hit home runs, and then there are home run hitters. For most of his superlative career, the Detroit Tigers‘ Miguel Cabrera has landed squarely in the second category.

He’s a beast, a masher. A hitter opposing pitchers genuinely fear. A hitter you assume is going to launch one every time he takes a cut.

Like the cut he took Monday night against the Minnesota Twins. Facing right-hander Casey Fien in the top of the ninth with the Tigers up 7-6 following a Torii Hunter go-ahead home run, Cabrera added some insurance with an arcing liner over the left-center field wall. 

The result? An 8-6 Detroit victory.

It’s the kind of at-bat Tigers fans have come to expect from Cabrera. During a recent rough patch, though, those expectations weren’t being met.

Between Aug. 3 and Aug. 31, a span of 27 games, Cabrera didn’t hit a single home run. Overall, he managed just one blast in the entire month of August.

That’s after he belted 44 home runs in each of the last two seasons, winning a Triple Crown and a pair of MVP trophies in the process.

Manager Brad Ausmus confirmed to MLB.com‘s Jason Beck that Cabrera has a bone spur in his right ankle, which could account at least partly for the fizzling pop. 

As John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press put it:

In the first half of the season, Cabrera hit a lot of long drives that came down just short of the fence. The thought was that he was still recovering from his offseason core muscle repair surgery, and that in the second half he’d be strong enough that those long drives would start going over the fence. Instead, the opposite has happened.

Needless to say, anxiety was high in the Motor City. The Miggy worry meter was teetering between “elevated” and “freak out.”

Then, just like that, the calendar flipped, and so did Cabrera’s power switch.

He smacked a pair of home runs Sept. 1 in Cleveland. He repeated the feat Sept. 6 at home against the San Francisco Giants. In all, Cabrera hit five home runs in a seven-game stretch and has six in September.

The Tigers, not coincidentally, are winning. Detroit, 84-66, is 10-4 in September and has reclaimed first place in the American League Central, carrying a 1.5-game lead over the upstart Kansas City Royals into play Tuesday.

As they race toward October, the Tigers would like nothing more than a red-hot, long-ball-launching Cabrera leading the charge.

“What I did was fine,” Cabrera told Brian Dulik of MLB.com after his Sept. 1 outburst against the Indians, which came as part of a 12-1 Detroit victory. “But we won, so that makes it even better.”

Cabrera has been more than fine this season. Even with his August swoon, his .313 batting average, 23 home runs and 102 RBI put him at least on the edge of the American League MVP conversation.

But with his recent power surge, the Tigers must be thinking big things.

This is the team that made the deal of the deadline, netting ace left-hander David Price in a blockbuster three-team swap. The team that walked up to the doorstep of glory in 2006 and 2012, only to fall just short.

Cabrera is still noticeably hobbled. As he rounded third Monday following his back-to-back jack, he stepped gingerly, slowing to a shuffling jog. 

And the Tigers still have question marks, including in the starting rotation, despite the Price trade.

But Cabrera returning to form, provided the ankle cooperates, could propel Detroit to the front of the AL playoff scramble. A locked-in recent Triple Crown winner can mask a lot of flaws.

Either way, it’s got to be nice for the Tigers faithful to see Miggy being Miggy. And swinging like a bona fide home run hitter.

All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com. 

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Earlier this month, the Detroit Tigers expanded their playing roster with the annual September call-ups. This coterie of youngsters has arrived in Motown at the back end of Detroit’s roller-coaster season. They may play an important role, as the Tigers are currently looking up in both the division and wild-card standings and chasing their fourth consecutive berth in the postseason.

The newcomers arrived in two waves, with the first batch coming on September 1:

The second installment landed in Detroit a day later:

Undoubtedly, starting pitcher Kyle Lobstein has made the most profound impact on the team. The 6’3” southpaw has been inserted into Detroit’s rotation, with Anibal Sanchez continuing to sit out with a pectoral injury.

Expectations were not high for Lobstein upon his arrival in Detroit. His numbers at Toledo promised little for a step up to the highest level: 9-11, 4.03 ERA, 1.48 WHIP.

Speaking on 1130 WDFN The Fan, MLive’s James Schmehl did not have high hopes for the tall lefty:“Lobstein, in my eyes, is not a starting pitcher in the major leagues. I think eventually he could potentially be a long reliever, but I don’t see him as a starting pitcher.”

However, the Arizona native has defied those low expectations since donning a Tigers uniform. In four appearances, including three starts, Lobstein’s numbers have been impressive: 1-0, 2.78 ERA, 1.19 WHIP. Detroit has won each of his starts, which have all been crucial.

Arguably, he has been Detroit’s best starter during this span. Max Scherzer (5.09), David Price (7.13), Rick Porcello (5.09) and Justin Verlander (4.79) all have higher ERAs and suffered at least one defeat in their last three starts.

It should be noted that only Lobstein’s last two appearances came after his September call-up. His first and second outings came during his initial stint in late August, before he was briefly optioned back to Toledo.

Recent reports indicate that Sanchez is making progress in his recovery and may soon return to Detroit. If so, Lobstein will likely be transferred to the bullpen. Until that happens, he remains a key member of Detroit’s rotation.

Apart from Lobstein, the other new additions have so far spent limited time on the diamond.

Detroit’s regular starters are not likely to be rested while the team is in the thick of the playoff hunt. Experimentation with youth may be a feature of non-contending teams in the weeks to come, but the Tigers will probably offer only occasional cameos to their call-ups.

So far, they have made favourable impressions when given opportunities.

Outfielders Tyler Collins and Steven Moya are each 2-for-4, including a three-run homer from Collins in Detroit’s 12-1 rout of Cleveland last Thursday.

Highly touted catcher James McCann made his first big league start over the weekend against San Francisco. The 24-year-old went 0-for-3 but hit the ball hard and looked solid defensively.

Hernan Perez has made a solitary start at shortstop and has been on base twice in four plate appearances.

The only hiccup for the position players has been Collins’ missed catch on a fly ball in his only start.

On the pitching side, Kyle Ryan and Buck Farmer—who made their starting debuts in August—have each made a single appearance out of the bullpen in September. These outings were both in mop-up roles during last Friday’s 8-2 defeat to the Giants.

Apart from Lobstein, the September rookies will continue to see only snippets of playing time in the season’s final three weeks.

High-stakes baseball should compel manager Brad Ausmus to use his best 10 players day in and day out. However, the rookies will add depth to the team and be used in strategic matchups. For instance, Ryan will be used to ice opposing left-handed hitters, particularly when Blaine Hardy and Phil Coke need a break.

Moya and Collins are also likely to feature as pinch hitters. Detroit is a right-hand-dominant lineup, so this pair of lefties could be brought off the bench to face some right-handed pitchers. While this is not the most glorified of roles, history shows that pinch hits from unlikely sources can sometimes be the difference between winning and losing big games.

Many will remember Francisco Cabrera—an unknown player at the time—stroking the game-winning hit for the Atlanta Braves in Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS. Dramatic situations like these may not emerge for the Tigers, but their bench players will get the chance to deliver at some stage.

It must be remembered that, while their game time is limited in the interim, these September call-ups are Detroit’s players of the future. Glimpses of their talents this month promise much in the years to come.

But don’t consider them “cheerleaders only” just yet.

If Detroit manages to leapfrog the Kansas City Royals and/or the Seattle Mariners into the playoffs, one or two may join the October party. The ride for this group has only just begun.

All stats in this article are courtesy of MLB.com.

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The final month of the major league season is upon us, and as we learned last season with the implementation of two wild-card berths in each league, there are more teams contending for playoff spots in September than ever before.

The first weekend is already underway, featuring several series that will impact the playoff races. And there will be meaningful meetings all the way through the final week of the season thanks to that second wild card and some tight divisional races.

Scoreboard watching should be an acquired skill in these final three-plus weeks, and we will fill your datebook with the most crucial from here on out, starting with the month’s first weekend.

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All of the pitching luxuries the Detroit Tigers seemed to have four weeks ago have systematically evaporated and been replaced by the first stages of panic.

When the Tigers maneuvered a trade for David Price at the non-waiver deadline, they were quickly anointed American League Central champions, champions of the league by some and champions of everything by a few others. The expectations for a team with the game’s most prolific hitter and three former Cy Young Award winners in its rotation were too high to measure.

Then, they came crashing down as the calendar did away with August and the Kansas City Royals did away with Detroit’s lead in the AL Central division.

Now, the Tigers are happy to get anything in the realm of positive as they chase the once-buried Royals and a wild-card berth. Justin Verlander’s start Friday night against the Chicago White Sox qualifies as positive, and if the Tigers are going to live up to any expectations created for the coming October, they will surely need more of this from their former-ace-turned-middle-man.

Verlander turned in seven innings and struck out eight, and despite giving up nine hits, he surprisingly allowed only a single run Friday night. It was a flashback to the Verlander of 2012—the 2011 Verlander was on another planet and probably would have made the entire White Sox lineup disappear with some sort of ray gun. 

justin is verlandering tonight. #tigers.

— gregg krupa (@greggkrupa) August 30, 2014

The Tigers are desperate for those kinds of outings from any starting pitcher right now.

With Anibal Sanchez hitting the disabled list on Aug. 9 and probably out for the season with a pectoral muscle strain, Verlander missing a start a week later because of shoulder inflammation and David Price alternating between front-line starter and mediocre/terrible, the Tigers are in need of someone to step up and provide life to the rotation.

Rick Porcello has provided a boost with a 2.11 ERA over his last seven games—one of those was an extra-inning relief appearance—but the Tigers clearly need more, or else they wouldn’t be staring up at the Royals.

Add that to the fact that the Tigers offense went into a slump earlier this month and Miguel Cabrera has one home run and nine RBI since July 26 and the pitching becomes even more important. 

And because the bullpen is a serious source of worry—its 4.41 ERA this season is the third-worst in the league, per FanGraphs—it will have to be the starting pitcher, once seen as the best in baseball, to carry this team into October. 

As much has Verlander has struggled he’s had 13 starts of 7 innings or more. That’s a huge value to a team with no bullpen.

— Shawn (@DetTigerTalk) August 30, 2014

Verlander’s first start back after missing one because of the shoulder discomfort was not comforting. He went 5.2 innings and gave up four runs. He got the win, pushing his record to 11-11 but raised his ERA up to 4.82 as he continued to stare at his worst season since 2008. Concern reigned all around him and the Tigers.

But in Verlander’s best years, he has had an ability to find a supercharge when he needs it most, whether it was a 101 mph fastball in the eighth inning for a key strikeout or a 130-pitch shutout.

Friday’s outing was in that mold. Another bad start by Verlander and full-on panic might have been setting in in Motown. But after a shaky 23-pitch first inning, Verlander didn’t allow a run, struck out seven and didn’t walk another batter as his fastball lived in the 93-95 mph range.

Once he came out of the game, the bullpen, which has been so maligned all season and in recent games as well, pitched two scoreless innings to make it 15 in a row without allowing a run for that group.

Suddenly, the Tigers are a half-game back of the Royals, and Verlander is providing hope rather than uneasiness, which is exactly what the Tigers need as they try to rebound from a team in distress to one on the attack.

When Verlander was at his best in 2011 and 2012, he was maybe the best in baseball. Expecting a 31-year-old arm with nearly 2,000 major league innings on it to regain that form is unrealistic. The Tigers don’t need that Verlander anyway.

They need him to be rejuvenated from what he has been since May, which is an average starter with average command. Maybe that one-start break will give Verlander that jump-start.

If it does, that is all the Tigers will need to win the Central division and again be a legitimate threat in October.

Anthony Witrado covers Major League Baseball for Bleacher Report. He spent the previous three seasons as the national baseball columnist at Sporting News and four years before that as the Milwaukee Brewers beat writer for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Follow Anthony on Twitter @awitrado and talk baseball here.

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Updates from Tuesday, Aug. 12

Chris Iott of MLive.com reported on Justin Verlander following Tuesday’s MRI:

Jason Beck of MLB.com provides comments from Tigers manager Brad Ausmus:

Detroit Tigers head athletic trainer Kevin Rand expanded on the results, via Iott:

Justin underwent an MRI this morning in Detroit which basically showed normal wear and tear on a pitcher’s shoulder. No major structural damage. He’s obviously going to be reevaluated tomorrow at the ballpark by Dr. (Stephen) Lemos. When he sees him then we’re going to discuss all treatment options at that time.

Original Text

Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander was removed from the team’s matchup with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday with an apparent shoulder injury after just one inning of work. 

Chris Iott of MLive.com reported the news on Verlander’s injury:

After the Tigers’ 11-6 loss to the Pirates, Iott provided an update on Verlander:

Verlander was blunt in his assessment of the night and also spoke about how he felt, via Tom Gage of The Detroit News: 

The 2011 American League MVP and Cy Young Award winner has gone just 10-10 this season with a 4.76 ERA. His ERA has not been above 4.00 at the end of a season since 2008, also the last season he failed to amass 200 strikeouts.

Earlier this month, Verlander spoke about attempting to turn around his season, per Brendan Savage of MLive.com:

I think pitching is constant tinkering. You’re always working on things. This year I made more drastic adjustments than I would have liked but I feel like I’m heading in the right direction and will continue working on what I’ve been working on and go out there and continue to pitch the way I did tonight.

Unfortunately, those struggles resurfaced on Monday night. But the possible injury might be more significant for the Tigers.

Verlander surrendered five runs during the outing before being taken out. ESPN Stats & Info notes the significance of the unfortunate start:

The start was not only bad for Verlander, but also for the exhausted Tigers bullpen, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today pointed out:

There is no word yet on the severity of the injury, but the situation will be evaluated further on Tuesday, as Iott mentioned.

The Tigers came into Monday night just a half game ahead of the Kansas City Royals and needed a strong outing from Verlander.

Following the buzz generated around Detroit after the David Price acquisition at the trade deadline, potentially losing Verlander would be extremely disheartening.

Verlander has been scuffling this season, but he has been a crucial component for the Tigers over the last nine years. If he is forced to miss time, their playoff hopes could take a hit.

Follow @RCorySmith on Twitter.

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The Detroit Tigers were only 2.5 games ahead of the Kansas City Royals in the American League Central heading into play Friday, but their division title chances may have taken a hit. Jason Beck of MLB.com filled fans in on the latest regarding pitcher Anibal Sanchez:

Sanchez was hit hard before exiting his start against the Toronto Blue Jays, allowing 10 hits and three earned runs in 4.2 innings pitched.

The Tigers pitching staff may be anchored by Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and newly acquired David Price, but Sanchez has turned in an impressive 2014 campaign. He sports an 8-5 record with 3.46 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and .229 batting average against.

If Sanchez misses considerable time going forward, the Tigers will be even more reliant on their trio of former Cy Young Award winners. Of course, that’s not a bad problem to have at all, but Sanchez provides solid depth.

Check back for updates as they develop.

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The Detroit Tigers have enjoyed a storied 121-year history, winning 11 American League pennants and four World Series championships.

Much of this success can be attributed to the iconic pitchers that have donned the “Olde English D” during their careers.

Guys like Hal Newhouser, Mickey Lolich, Jack Morris and Justin Verlander have demonstrated their mound excellence for fans of almost every generation since World War II and provided the foundation for many of the great Tiger teams.

In this article, we’ll look at the best Tiger hurlers of all time by using three specific criteria.

Most importantly, we’ll consider each candidate’s regular-season performance. Second, we’ll take into account each pitcher’s longevity. In other words, one-year wonders need not apply. Finally, we’ll assess how each pitcher has fared in the postseason, when the heat is on and the pressure to perform is at its greatest.

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Poised to win the American League Central for the fourth consecutive year, the Detroit Tigers‘ fortunes this October will rest squarely on the right arm of one Justin Brooks Verlander. 

Admittedly, that’s a bold statement, especially when you consider Detroit’s $164 million roster includes the likes of 2012-13 MVP Miguel Cabrera, 2013 Cy Young winner Max Scherzer, 2013 A.L. ERA leader Anibal Sanchez, five-time All Star Victor Martinez and new arrival David Price, who happened to win the Cy Young in 2012.

But Verlander is the Tigers’ No. 1 starter. Their Big Dawg. Their hombre. Their bouncer. Their ace. And to win in October you need an ace.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, Verlander has done everything this season but pitch like an ace. In fact, his 4.66 ERA this season is more than a full run higher than any of the Tigers’ other starters, and his WHIP of 1.42 also ranks as the worst among his rotation mates. Those are definitely not results the Tigers’ front office envisioned when it gave Verlander a seven-year, $180 million extension last year in the hope he would be the horse the organization could ride to its first world championship since 1984.

It’s imperative Verlander rights the ship before the start of the playoffs for three reasons. First, the rest of the Tigers’ rotation does not eat enough innings to compensate for the team’s weak, overworked bullpen, which will leave Detroit vulnerable in the late innings against playoff-caliber offenses like the A’s, Angels and Orioles. 

Price is a horse, but in Scherzer and Sanchez, (we’ll assume No. 5 starter Rick Porcello will head to the bullpen in the playoffs), manager Brad Ausmus has two capable starters who’ve averaged only 6.1 innings per start since the beginning of last season. This means Ausmus will be relying on the bullpen to get eight highly leveraged outs in what will likely be razor-tight pitching duels where one misplaced fastball or hanging curve could have disastrous results.

Let’s look at Detroit’s bullpen for a second. Closer Joe Nathan has enjoyed a stellar career with 363 saves and a 2.88 ERA, but this year he’s already blown five saves in just 27 attempts, and his ERA is a bloated 5.45. 

Setup man Joba Chamberlain has had an excellent season, but he’s just two years removed from Tommy John surgery and on pace to nearly equal his personal best of 73 appearances in a season. 

Right-hander Al Albuquerque has also posted good numbers this season; However, his heavy workload may already be affecting his dynamite stuff. His FIP, per Baseball-Reference.com, of 4.32 suggests his current ERA of 3.26 will rise and his K/9 of 10.5 is his worst mark by almost two full strikeouts.   

Finally, left-handed specialists Ian Krol and Phil Coke’s aggregate ERA and WHIP of 4.77 and 1.60, respectively, have caused Ausmus to reach for the Rolaids on more than one occasion this season.

Recently acquired Joakim Soria is solid, but even after his arrival from Texas, Detroit’s bullpen will still be a little short. This is where Verlander comes in. Vintage Verlander—assume the 2012 model when he had a 2.64 ERA to go along with a 1.06 WHIP and averaged 7.1 innings per start—would give his manager the luxury of saving his beleaguered bullpen for other games when an eight-out effort will be necessary to achieve a win.

The second reason why Detroit needs Verlander to return to form is that he and his fellow starters must mask an inconsistent offense. Although Detroit’s 495 runs scored ranks fourth in the A.L., and its OPS of .765 paces the junior circuit, the Tigers’ offense has gone in the tank for extended stretches this season and has been particularly susceptible to power pitching. 

For example, during a 9-17 stretch from May 19 through June 18, Detroit faced hard throwers like Trevor Bauer, Yu Darvish, Sonny Gray, Scott Kazmir, Drew Hutchison and Chris Sale and hit only .258, or 20 points below their full-season average.

It will only get tougher in October, when the Tigers will probably have to face the likes of Gray (remember his eight shutout innings in Game 2 of the AL Division Series last year?), Kazmir, Jeff Samardzija, Felix Hernandez and Garrett Richards multiple times in a series. Detroit will need its starters to bring their “A” games for such matchups, meaning Verlander pitching like he has for most of this year simply won’t cut it.

The Tigers’ poor defense is the final reason why Verlander will need to regain his old magic once the leaves start to change color. Although second baseman Ian Kinsler and rookie shortstop Eugenio Suarez make a solid double play combination, Cabrera and Nick Castellanos offer below-average range at the corners. And Torii Hunter and J.D. Martinez, who has earned a starting job because of his hot bat, are among the A.L.’s worst outfielders according to Baseball-Reference.com’s UZR rankings.

Simply put, Detroit’s starters will need as many strikeouts as possible to negate the team’s porous defense. While Scherzer, with 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings, has actually improved his pace from last season, Sanchez’s and Verlander’s K/9 are down significantly. Verlander’s drop—from 8.9 in 2012 to a pedestrian 6.6 this year—is particularly alarming and will have to be improved.

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The Detroit Tigers are once again championship contenders in 2014. At 55-41 and 6.5 games clear of their nearest division rival, they are poised to make another run at an elusive World Series title. Key to their success so far has been the breakout season of starting pitcher Rick Porcello. The tall right-hander has been an integral part of the team’s success at a time when it really needed him to raise his game.

The offseason exit of Doug Fister via trade caused much consternation in Detroit. Fister had an excellent two-and-half-year stint as a Tiger, winning 45 games (including postseason). With big shoes to fill, literally and figuratively, Porcello was the man counted on to pick up the slack left by his former teammate.

Detroit’s starting rotation has been one of its main strengths in recent years. Despite Fister’s aforementioned departure and the struggles of Justin Verlander (career-worst 4.84 ERA), Porcello has helped to maintain its high quality through the season’s first four months. Tigers starters have combined for 44 wins (first in AL) and also rank in the top five in ERA, WHIP and batting average against.

Porcello’s performances so far this season have been his finest as an MLB player. His 12 wins are equal highest in the majors and only one shy of his career high for a full season. Also, his ERA (3.39), WHIP (1.18) and batting average against (.253) are all career-best marks.

At times, Porcello has completely dominated opposing lineups. The New Jersey native notched six-straight wins during April-May, followed by a 25.1-inning scoreless streak in June-July. His latter feat included back-to-back complete-game shutouts, one of which came against the AL’s second-best offense—Oakland.

With 119.1 innings already logged, Porcello is on target to pass 200 IP in a season for the first time in his career. His ability to go deeper into ballgames has also left Detroit’s shaky bullpen (ERA 4.36) less exposed and provided it with some much-needed rest.

Reflecting on Porcello’s career year beckons the question: How has he jumped from mediocre MLB pitcher to very good MLB pitcher in 2014?

One thing is for certain, it is not through striking hitters out. Unlike some of his Tigers brethren (e.g. Max Scherzer), Porcello does not possess the arm to collect punch-outs en masse. With a heater averaging 92 mph, the righty needs to retire opposing hitters through other methods. Inducing ground-ball outs via his sinker has been his modus operandi so far in his career. Porcello’s dependency on this pitch is highlighted by his Percentage Pitch Usage stats from his rookie year (courtesy of Brooks Baseball). They reveal that he threw sinkers 60.01 percent of the time during that season.

However, the 2014 version of Porcello is far less reliant on his sinker. He still benefits from balls hit on the ground—19 double plays (second in AL) and a 48.2 ground-ball percentage attest to that—but he has improved his secondary pitches, enabling him to use them more often to record outs.

One particularly noticeable difference has been the increased use of his curveball. He now throws it roughly five times more often than he did back in 2010-2011.

According to Brooks Baseball, his curve is getting more horizontal movement (7.34 inches) than at any other time in his career. His hook is proving to be effective too as opponents have hit only .203 off it in 2014.

His changeup has been even more impressive. Opponents are hitting only .178, which is a 53-point decrease on last year. According to Fangraphs, his changeup RAR (Runs Saved Against Replacement) of 8.0 (third in AL) also demonstrates its effectiveness.

The sinker remains Porcello’s bread-and-butter pitch. And with the improvement of his complement pitches, it may now be even more effective. According to manager Brad Ausmus, per WXYZ Radio (subscription required), Porcello is at his best when he locates his sinker in the bottom half of the strike zone:

When Rick is getting groundball outs he’s doing the one thing right that he has to do—he’s keeping the sinker down in the strike zone. When the sinker’s down it’s got more depth to it, more movement and guys just get on top of the ball and it ends up on the ground.

After struggling against left-handed batters throughout his career, Porcello’s improvements have also helped him have more success against them this year. With lefties currently hitting only .240, this is the first year since his rookie season that he has held them to under a .300 clip.  

Porcello’s enhanced game shows how he has matured as a pitcher this year. Owning three above-average pitches demonstrates his evolution from a sinkerball pitcher into a pitcher possessing a sinkerball—and a good one at that. His morphing into a more complete pitcher may yet catapult him to a 20-win season and postseason success for Detroit.

Although the 25-year-old has not started a playoff game since 2011, his performances this year will leave Brad Ausmus with no choice but to install him into the postseason rotation. Any questions about whether he can perform against elite teams have already been answered. Against Detroit’s likely opponents in October—Oakland, Anaheim and Baltimore—Porcello is 5-0 with a 1.31 ERA in five starts this season.

With Detroit failing to convert its postseason opportunities the past three years, it is still desperately seeking the right formula to go all the way. With Porcello now pitching at a higher level, it may be one step closer to breaking its three-decade drought.

Unless otherwise stated, stats in this article are courtesy of mlb.com

Please follow me on Twitter: @jdunc1979

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The All-Star break is supposed to be just that—a break. From all of the pressures and problems that come with the marathon Major League Baseball season. For the Detroit Tigers, though, that respite has been interrupted by somewhat troubling news concerning two of their biggest stars: two-time reigning AL MVP Miguel Cabrera and former MVP and Cy Young winner Justin Verlander.

The two 31-year-olds underwent offseason surgeries to address injured core muscles, and as Cabrera told Jorge L. Ortiz of USA Today on Monday, both are still dealing with lingering effects of the procedures and recoveries.

“There are times when I feel good, but there are always muscles that are tightening, muscles that are not functioning properly,” Cabrera said via Ortiz. “It’s part of the [recovery] process.”

After having surgery last October, Cabrera got off to a slow start by his usual elite standards, hitting .277/.320/.415 in April. He has since turned his 2014 around and is currently hitting .306/.364/.534. His 34 doubles lead the AL and his 75 RBI top both leagues, although it’s worth pointing out here that Cabrera’s .534 slugging percentage is his worst since 2004—his first full season.

As for Verlander, who has been struggling through the worst season of his 10-year career after undergoing his procedure more recently in January, Cabrera revealed this: “The same thing is happening to Verlander, but the difference is he pitches every five days, so you don’t see it as frequently.”

On one hand, the fact that Verlander isn’t quite right helps explain the poor season: His 4.88 ERA and 1.46 WHIP both represent career worsts. But even if it’s somehow merely a matter of time and rest before Verlander finds his form, the non-stop grind of a season isn’t exactly ideal for trying to recover from any injury, let alone a lingering one like this.

So the Tigers, contenders once again, now have to be wary of the health and performance of their two highest-paid players—both Cabrera and Verlander signed monster extensions worth $248 million and $180 million, respectively, the past two Marches—as the second half begins, as well as down the stretch and into October.

Detroit is seeking a playoff berth for the fourth consecutive year. Because of all that success, this clearly is a team not only built to win it all now but one that expects to—and needs to, after reaching the World Series in 2012, sandwiched around two trips to the ALCS.

With Cabrera and Verlander still battling through, fatigue is only bound to set in more as the season—and postseason—wears on. The Tigers went through just the same thing with Cabrera at the end of 2013.

“I think it has affected me quite a bit,” Cabrera said via Ortiz. “Like last year, when in the last month I wasn’t using my bottom half, my feet and the waist area.”

Remember: The Tigers experienced an injured, worn-down Cabrera last September when he batted .278 with an impossibly low .333 slugging percentage due to a mere two extra-base hits (one home run, one double). He managed the same number in October (both home runs) and clearly wasn’t healthy enough to produce like his usual self.

There are, however, a couple of silver linings in the wake of this news that Cabrera and Verlander are still ailing. The first is that there’s enough time before the trade deadline for general manager Dave Dombrowski, who’s always active this time of year as it is, to make a trade for some insurance and/or depth.

And second, at 53-38, the Tigers at the moment don’t appear to have any legitimate opponents for the AL Central division crown. Their 6.5 game lead on the Kansas City Royals is the largest among any first-place team.

Cabrera acknowledged as much to Ortiz:

But as [Verlander] and I talked about, we’re never going to offer any excuses for our performance. We always want to be out on the field and compete, and I think that’s the most important thing we can do, compete and try to get past this tough time. And the main thing is we’re in first place.

Plus, unless there are some dramatic standings shakeups, Detroit looks likely to match up with the winner of the AL East in the first round of the playoffs. That’s actually not a bad thing this year, considering how that division hasn’t been as strong as it usually is.

Still, the Tigers potentially could have one of the Oakland Athletics or Los Angeles Angels—the two AL West rivals who currently possess the top two records in the majors—awaiting them in the AL Championship Series.

While Detroit has taken out Oakland each of the past two postseasons, a third straight time might prove too much, especially with how good the A’s have been—and how much better they could be after acquiring starters Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel.

Not to mention, the Tigers now have to consider the possibility that one or both of Cabrera and Verlander might not be at their best or even healthy when they’re needed most.

Statistics are accurate through July 14 and come from MLB.com, Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs.com, except where otherwise noted.

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