AL Central: Tigers' tank running on empty

Baseball Betting Lines

08/06/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It was only less than a month ago the Detroit Tigers were in first place in the American League Central. They had won seven of their first nine games in the month of July and headed into the All-Star break with all kinds of momentum.

My, how things have changed.

Since that time, Detroit has gone an abysmal 5-17. No other team in the majors has a worse record over that span.

And it's not just how often they're losing, it's also the way the Tigers have lost games that has been especially gut-wrenching. Thursday's game against the Chicago White Sox was a perfect example. Detroit was on the verge of yet another loss, trailing by three With two outs in the ninth inning. Ryan Raburn stepped to the plate, his team's chances fading, and delivered a mammoth three-run home run to tie the game at 4-4 and force extra innings. It wasn't until the 11th inning that things unraveled, when Chicago's Mark Kotsay, who hit a two-run homer in the ninth, delivered a two-run triple for the deciding 6-4 margin.

That setback dropped the Tigers a season-high nine games out of first place.

Sadly, Raburn's game-tying blast will fade into the background, as will his two defensive gems in the ninth and 11th innings. Instead, Tigers fans will remember that Raburn was the one who grounded out to end the game with runners on first and second, on a pitch that was out of the zone.

Indeed, the negatives far outweigh the positives these days in the Motor City. Last weekend's Boston Massacre didn't help, as the Tigers suffered two ninth- inning defeats. It also doesn't help that regulars Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen have been on the disabled list.

And while the rookies on the team have no doubt made a tremendous impact this season, they've also made some mistakes, which is to be expected. Austin Jackson reminded everyone Wednesday night that he is, in fact, still a rookie. Johnny Damon laced a single to right field, but the speedy Jackson didn't get to third. The very next batter, Miguel Cabrera, launched what should have been a sacrifice fly to center field.

A day earlier, rookie phenom Brennan Boesch got himself picked off at first base.

"(Manager Jim Leyland) is taking his time with us," Jackson said. "It's still a learning process here. But at the same time, we are put in a position where we have to step up and make plays."

Jackson brings about an interesting point. When Detroit entered the All-Star break a half-game out of first place, naturally it altered the expectations for a team that has thrust so many youngsters into action this season.

As Tigers fans are currently finding out, maybe it's time to reset those expectations a bit.

GUILLEN SHOWN THE DOOR IN KANSAS CITY

It's not often that a team designates its leading home run hitter and RBI producer for assignment.

But that's exactly what happened on Thursday to the Royals' Jose Guillen, who was designated for assignment despite leading Kansas City with 16 homers and 62 RBI. He was also second on the team in hits (170) and runs (46). Guillen, who is in the last year of a three-year, $36 million contract, was in a 1- for-28 slump over his last seven games.

The Royals have 10 days to trade or release the 34-year-old designated hitter. To his credit, Guillen took the news quite well.

"I don't know if I saw it coming this way, but it's all business," Guillen said. "It's going to work out well. It's going to work out for them because they're going to see some of these young guys. They need to see what they can do for the near future. And it's going to work because I (may) get to go a place where there's a playoff team, a team in the race and go from there."

Essentially, the move clears the way for Kila Ka'aihue to get more playing time. Ka'aihue was hitting .319 with 14 homers and 78 RBI for Triple-A Omaha, while also leading the Pacific Coast League in on-base percentage (.463) and walks (88). He burst onto the scene in 2008, when he hit .314 with 37 homers and 100 RBIs between Double-A and Triple-A.

Quite simply, the more he hit, the more difficult it became to keep him in the minors. Unfortunately for Guillen, that reality came at his expense.

NEW ADDITION JACKSON GIVES SOX' ROTATION A BOOST; DELGADO NEXT?

Few pitching coaches in baseball have more productive side sessions than Chicago's Don Cooper. Before the White Sox acquired starting pitcher Edwin Jackson from the Arizona Diamondbacks at the trade deadline, Cooper had watched some video of the team's target.

While watching the video, Cooper identified a mechanical flaw, which he thought he'd be able to correct. Soon after Jackson joined his new team, Cooper worked with him on a side session. And on Wednesday, facing his former team, Jackson tossed seven innings of one-run ball, striking out six and walking only one batter. Jackson has struggled with issuing too many free passes this season, but so far he has bought into the importance of first- pitch strikes. And just as critical, he was able to identify when he would slip back into his old mechanical habits, and correct it.

"When a guy knows when he's doing something wrong, there's a chance to fix it," Cooper said. "You don't have to search and struggle all the time."

In other team news, the agent for 38-year-old Carlos Delgado, who has hit 473 career home runs but has not played since May of 2009, said the White Sox have expressed interest in his client. Agent David Sloane said Delgado is recovered from his hip injury and anticipates joining a team by next week.

"Carlos would like to play for a playoff-contending team while getting his at- bats and getting an opportunity to show what he can do for the future," Sloane told the Chicago Tribune.

At least one person in the White Sox organization was unaware of the news.

"Thank you for the surprise," said manager Ozzie Guillen, responding to a report by FOX Sports on Thursday. "I thought this guy was building houses in Puerto Rico."

AS ALWAYS, TWINS KEEPING CHASE IN AL CENTRAL

The 'piranhas,' as White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen calls the Minnesota Twins, are at it again.

The White Sox have won eight of their past 10 games to keep hold of their division lead. However, Minnesota has also won eight of its last 10 to stay within 1 1/2 games of Chicago. The Twins begin a three-game series in Cleveland Friday night. After that, they'll head to Chicago for a three-game set with the very team they're chasing. A week later, the Sox and Twins will meet up again in Minnesota.

The Twins are hopeful they'll have some injury concerns resolved very soon. MVP catcher Joe Mauer, still dealing with discomfort in his right shoulder, sat out consecutive games on Sunday and Monday, then was used as the designated hitter for the next three games against Tampa Bay.

"He's still not quite there," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "I think probably this next series, he should be able to catch and start going out there. Just got to give it time. As I told him, I don't want it to be, 'It feels OK,' especially against a team like (Tampa Bay) that does run. I'd rather just give him the time and have him get well."

In addition, reliever Jon Rauch has been dealing with hand, foot and mouth disease, which has caused blisters on his hands. He left prior to Wednesday and Thursday's game to see a doctor. Symptoms can last anywhere from a few days to a week. First baseman Justin Morneau (concussion) and second baseman Orlando Hudson (right oblique strain) are already on the disabled list. Meanwhile, center fielder Denard Span sat out Thursday's series finale, although Gardenhire said it was simply to give Span a rest.

BAD NEWS FOR TRIBE'S SUPER ROOKIE SANTANA

Of the waning reasons to follow the 2010 Cleveland Indians on a daily basis, perhaps the biggest one has learned that his season is, in fact, over. Rookie catcher Carlos Santana will have left knee surgery on Friday to repair his lateral collateral ligament, and he is looking at a four- to six-month recovery time.

The injury happened Monday night during a collision at home plate.

"After our information gathered, the prevailing opinion was that surgery was the most prudent for the short-term and long-term health," head athletic trainer Lonnie Soloff said on the team's Web site. "Any time that you are performing surgery on a catcher's knee, it is a serious procedure."

Any time you are performing surgery on the face of the organization's future, it is a serious procedure. As manager Manny Acta pointed out, the most notable setback is that Santana will lose two months of precious development at the big league level. In 46 games since being called up, he was hitting .260 with six homers and 22 RBI.