Opportunity Road Trip

Many have noted that the Tigers have now won 4 series in a row. This is good news for all of us and a transitional step out of our frustratingly slow start. Now... After climbing our way back up to only one game from .500 and 2.5 games out of first place, we head into an extensive and challenging road trip.

Some may look at this road trip as a bummer. Just as things are getting going, we have a giant mountain to face and will inevitably lose this positive momentum. Even Rod Allen was talking about the unlikeliness of even winning six of the ten games in the upcoming road trip during the broadcast yesterday.

I know that it has been a tough season and that cynicism is high, but there is another way to look at this. 

Sure this ten game stretch will be difficult, but let's also be mindful that this could also be an opportunity that we point back to at the end of the year and remember that this stretch was the moment that validated our team once again as a legitimate playoff contender.

We entered this year as the favorite and lost this role twenty games in. Forty games in we lost the role of even a contender. With a successful road trip against the Pirates, Rangers and Rays we could get this back.

How do we define successful? Playing competitive baseball and winning six of ten. Period. If we compete, winning six of ten should be inevitable with our team. If we make errors, run the bases poorly, pitch without focus, and have undisciplined at bats, then we will not win six out of ten. We will win 5 or less. Probably less.

Let's be honest though and also remember that regaining the "role" of contender is less important than actually being a contender and winning the appropriate amount of games to make it into October baseball. Hopefully this ten day stretch is a small piece in the puzzle of winning eighty five games, the minimum it will take to solidify a 2012 Tiger's AL Central championship.

We come home to an equally easy stretch of seven games against the bottom dwellers of the AL Central. If we can indeed go six and four on this road trip and then take five of seven against the Twins and the Royals, which are both tangible possibilities, then we will head into the break at 45-41. This ratio of winning would get us to 85 wins and going into playoff baseball as the most feared 85 game winning team in history.