The Tigers Bounce Back: A series win over the Cubs, and what it means next for Detroit

By Calvin Little

Last week, the Tigers entered a series on the road against the Chicago White Sox. Surprisingly, Detroit tied the series 2-2 after the White Sox got a walk off hit to go up 3-2 in the 10th inning, sealing a victory for Chicago. The loss and series tie was a bit of a surprise for the Tigers and their fans, but that's bound to happen to all teams in baseball. The key thing to remember is because baseball has series, eventually a team is going to figure out someway they can beat you. The important thing is how you win the series and don't let that win affect the rest of your games. And that's exactly what the Tigers did. Coming back home for a weekend series against the Cubs, the tigers won the series 3-2 after a 6-1 defeat. They bounced back and ended the series with an impressive 4-0 shutout against the Cubs, putting them at 43-24, and at the top of the AL Central.

Some key players really shined in that Cubs series, and some of these players have been shining throughout the season. For starters, Spencer Torkelson continues to back up his nick-name "The Tork-Bomb" after hitting a Home Run in game 2 of the series. After having a questionable season last year, Torkelson has proved so far that he has made significant improvements and deserves to be on his team. Another player that stands out is Kerry Carpenter, who emphasized the team aspect of baseball in the series. With 3 hits to put his team in scoring position and get back to home plate, Kerry has clearly shown he can be a reliable hitter for this team, and for the rest of the season.

Looking ahead at the next series, the Tigers are back on the road to face the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles don't pose a serious threat, with a 26-38 record, so there's no reason for any Tigers fans to be nervous during this series. Overconfidence in fans and players is something to be concerned about. A lot of times, when facing an easy team, fans might say "We have to get a series sweep here, otherwise we aren't a good team." which is simply not true. While a series sweep will establish dominance in the league, a series win will be really all that matters. As long as the Tigers can hold their own, get a series win, and do it with good play-style, this Tigers season should be only going upwards.