The Detroit Tigers, says Mike Valenti, are "like the woman they found in the coffin who ended up being awake." Just when you're ready to bury them, like when they entered last week having lost nine in a row, they win three of four against the first-place Twins and come back from the dead.
"It's like in the movies," says Valenti. "The woman can’t let the guy go and the guy is out there with a different chick every night. Walks in on him three or four times and still won’t let him go. That’s this team. Every time you buy in, boom, they schnook somebody else. Every time!"
The Tigers are 10 games under .500 at 30-40. They're also five games out of first in the worst division in baseball entering a six-game homestand against the Royals and Twins. They don't have to be good to stay relevant. They just have to be the best of a bad bunch of teams.
"They are objectively bad," says Valenti. "Terrible run differential (minus-76) in a terrible division with a terrible offense, yet they’re five games out of first. They just took three of four from the Twins and the offense has come alive. Home runs have happened! Spencer Torkelson is hitting! Harvey turning into Javy, hitting! And I can’t figure out what to do."
Given the battered psyche of Detroit sports fans, Valenti says he won't object to anyone buying into the Tigers: "Who the hell am I to get on the air and laugh at people who just want to have effing fun with their baseball team?" Ultimately, the next month will decide what becomes of the 2023 Tigers:
"You can’t say they’re out of it, five games out, having taken three out of four from the first-place Twins. But I also can’t say you’re in it when you’re 30-40. Because here’s what I’ll tell you: A month from today is basically the trade deadline. They’re either going to play their way toward being interesting and for real, or a month from today we’re talking about what parts they sold."
Listen live to 97.1 The Ticket via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker