Because of the problems related to Florida hurricanes (I can’t even remember which caused the scheduling problem, probably Frances), the Tiger’s schedule down the stretch is interesting.

They’re going to be playing in Baltimore this weekend. They’ll then come home for a three game series against the White Sox, before heading to Tampa Bay for one day to play a double header. Both teams then have to jump on a plane to Detroit, where they’ll square off in the final series of the season.

The Tigers lost two straight one run games against Cleveland earlier this week. They’re record in one run games now stands at 12-27, or 15 games below .500. Ironically, this is exactly how many games the Tigers are below .500 in the overall standings.

None of the teams the Tigers play down the stretch are in the playoff hunt, so we should see a lot of new faces. I always thought the expanded rosters in September made the final month of the season more fun for those teams that aren’t going to make the postseason.

The only division races that haven’t been tied up are out west. Oakland holds on to a two game lead over both Anaheim and a surging Rangers team. The National League race is a little more complicated because it’s almost turned into a three team race for two playoff spots. I’ll defer to the experts over at The Cub Reporter, because he wrote a nice piece on the ins and outs of what can happen there.

The Giants and the Dodgers square off this weekend, as do the Oakland and Anaheim. Some big series with some big implications.

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