Detroit Tigers week in review: Week nine

This as not the best week in the history of the Detroit Tigers, and it was probably he worst week of the 2013

season thus far. Once again the Tigers have shown that annoying habit of the offense going to sleep. It happened last fall at the worst time and whatever the problem is it really needs to be addressed. Is it the lack of a clubhouse leader? Quite possibly. Is it a flaw in the lineup? Maybe. Is tit the failure of Alex Avila at the plate? Is is due to the struggling Victor Martinez? There are no easy answers here, but when we start to look at the splits it gets to look a little more ugly than it really is.

The Tigers are 30-25,and they lead the American League Central by two full games over the Cleveland Indians. Over the last 10 games they are 4-6, and the included a 1-3 record versus the Pittsburgh Pirates and a 1-2 sting in Baltimore. At home they re a very impressive 17-9, but on the road they are just 13-16. Even more troubling they are just 14-15 against teams with a winning record. that is certainly a number that needs to improve. They are 10-7 against the teams in their division and that is also a number that needs to improve.

The Good:

• Omar Infante- I think Omar gets overlooked a lot, but he has really cemented a trouble spot for this team since being reacquired last summer. He is a solid defender and he is hitting .294 and has a .739 OPS. He has nine doubles and 18 RBI along with two steals. Better than that he has only 18 strike outs which means he is getting the most out of every at bat. 
• Miguel Cabrera- I mean this guy is freaking scary good. He is hitting .367, has 17 home runs, and 65 RBI. He is the best pure hitter since Tony Gywnn and Ken Griffey Jr. He is simply amazing and he only seems to get better. 
• Anibal Sanchez- His 5-5 record doesn't really reflect how good he has been. He has 71 innings pitched, 89 strike outs, a 2.79 ERA, and has pitched the only complete game by a Tigers starter so far this season. 

The Bad:

• Alex Avila- Alex just isn't getting it done at the plate. he is hitting just .169 and has 47 K's. To put that number in perspective that is the same number of K's as Prince Fielder absent all of the offensive production. He is struggling, and it is affecting the bottom of the order. 
• Victor Martinez- he is hitting just .230 and has 28 strike outs. We have seen flashes of the old Victor but they have been few and far between.The lineup could use a hot bat in the five hole. 
• Jose Valverde- We are not going to freak out over one blown save. Everyone blows a save or two during the season but his splits do not look all that great. I think the Tigers can get by with him as the closer and it no longer looks like the 9th inning is the issue for this team. In just 12.2 innings he has a 3.55 ERA, and has given up five earned runs along with 2 home runs. Not the stat line of a legit MLB closer. 

Related Links:

• Detroit Tigers news and notes
• Detroit Sports Media Examiner