The Tigers are 2.5 games up on the White Sox and three games ahead of the Minnesota Twins.
This is an absolutely huge series from the standpoint the Tigers must not leave Minnesota after three games no longer in first place in the American League Central.
If they do lose the lead, there will be a momentum shift that will be difficult to reverse. The best chance is obviously Saturday with Edwin Jackson going against Francisco Liriano.
The White Sox have won six in a row and are making a strong move. They are the one team in the division that is winning on the road.
Lefty Luke French is starting tonight for the Tigers and is not overpowering. A lot has been made about the Twins’ left-handed hitters Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, but French isn’t going to overpower them. He is a sinker-ball type, who hasn’t had that much more success against left-handers than right-handed hitters during his minor league career. Mauer is "only" hitting .351 with an OPS approaching 1,000 against left-handers, Morneau is hitting .359 with an OPS above 1,000 against lefties.
French was called up because he was the only starter at Triple-A or Double-A who was pitching reasonably well in the Tigers’ system. And Alfredo Figaro clearly wasn’t good enough. Period.

Random Thoughts

- To me it’s a no-brainer Avery Johnson for as the Pistons’ next coach. Not sure if Joe Dumars and Company feel the same way, however.

- Too bad Scott Sizemore isn’t an outfielder or catcher. He’d be in the major leagues by now. The Tigers don’t need a middle infielder, though.

- I think Rasheed Wallace would be a great fit for the Celtics. He can still play. That’s not been the issue. The bigger issue has been whether he wants to play. He needs a change of scenery. Boston would be perfect for him.

- The Dodgers sure have missed Manny Ramirez. Hah.

"Caputo and His Boss" video from Friday about Tigers http://tinyurl.com/n5uync

My column in Friday's Oakland Press about Pistons: http://tinyurl.com/m5mmz5