96 games into the season, the Tigers haven't been this close to first place in the AL Central since 2014. They were 14 games out last year, 13.5 out in 2021, 29 out in 2019, 12.5 out in 2018, 6.5 out in 2017, 7 out in 2016 and 10.5 out in 2015 (with 2020 being the COVID season). They're 5 games out entering play Friday night after winning five of seven out of the All-Star break.
"I understand they are not very good and it’s a bad division," says Valenti, "but it’s OK to have a little fun." And whether they can stick around comes down to the next 10 games, with the trade deadline Aug. 1:
"They’ve hit the ground running in the second half. The believability of them being a fringy, hanging-around team is all on the next 10 games: home for three against the Padres, a makeup against San Francisco, three against the Angels and then three in Miami. 10 games where you gotta go 6-4 or 7-3.
"You gotta play good baseball. You’re not going to make up a ton of ground, the Twins have gotten hot, but if they play well in these 10 games and they’re five games under .500, I think it’s OK to say, it’s August 1st and I’m allowed to continue enjoying this."
Rico says that the fans "want to believe, but then you feel, 'Man, this team is going to fall apart.' But you’re watching the scores, you’re watching the games, you're going to the games. The interest is there. Once you set aside that they’re probably not going to win the World Series, winning the division gets you into the playoffs and it means that games in August and September could be meaningful."
"Are you guys into this," asks Valenti, "or are we just the two old muppet guys in the opera?"
This weekend could go a long way toward providing an answer.