Sinking feeling

I've been out of the loop for a while, but not so far gone to miss the Tigers turning 2007 into a disaster epic. The team many said was the best in the AL is playing itself right out of the playoff chase. Fortunately, there's still time to turn this thing around. The question now is whether Detroit can do it. I'm not even sure Jim Leyland knows the answer.

Entering tonight's game, coming off a horrible 16-10 loss to Oakland, the Tigers have won just 6 of their last 22. Last year, Detroit went into a similar funk to end the year and still made it to the World Series, so at least the players have that experience to draw on.

Here are some numbers, pre- and post-All Star break for the offense and defense. First the pitching.

Pre: 52-34, 4.31 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, .265 BAA. Post: 11-18, 5.94 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, .299 BAA.

Those numbers are pretty awful since the break. The Tigs are fortunate to have won 11 times during that span. Most baffling is what the starters have done since the break: Robertson, 5.01 ERA; Verlander, 5.23; Miller, 6.08; Tata, 7.71; Bonderman, 8.50; Rogers, 9.98.

The pen failed to convert 14 save chances in the first half, which might come back to haunt the team as well. Detroit has 18 blown saves for the season, which, working from memory, is 2 more than all of 2006.

Now the offense's stats. Pre: .290/.352/.473. Post: .281/.327/.434.

The batting average has remained good, but the on-base and slugging marks have sagged. Some of this can be attributed to Gary Sheffield's ailing shoulder.

Maggs has pretty much remained Maggs, batting .306-5-26 in 29 games since the break. But Guillen is .267-0-7, Sheff is .247-3-11, Pudge is .234-1-4 and Inge is .223-1-10.

Making the lineup struggles interesting is the fact Granderson is batting .356-4-11 since the break while Polanco is .384-4-13. They both have OPS marks around 1.003. That's pretty good work by the table-setters. Also, the Tigs have gotten a boost from Ryan Raburn at .321-3-13 in 18 games. Marcus Thames has been a blessing lately, too, going .323-2-8 in 8 games. But the fact Detroit needs a boost from Raburn and Thames is telling. Sheff's shoulder needs to get well soon.

I would like to think the Tigers can turn this around just as easily as they've fallen into it. That wouldn't seem unreasonable, particularly on the pitching side, since you wouldn't believe the starters are as bad as they've looked since the break. But once a ball gets rolling downhill it can sometimes be tough to stop. Regardless, this spell has made Detroit's work to reach the postseason again increasingly difficult.