The Tigers started off the month in a disapponting fashion going 2-5 against division rivals Minnesota and Kansas City. Four of the losses were by two runs or fewer, and featured some unusual bullpen decisions. The Tigers then turned things around for interleague play and won their next three series (including a 4 game win streak).

The Tigers then went to New York and lost 2 games in the bottom of the ninth to the Mets. They followed up those two losses with three uninspiring performances against the Mets and Royals and the result was the teams first 5 game losing streak of the season.

The Tigers managed to win the third game against Kansas City on get away day, and came home to face the struggling Diamonbacks. Jason Johnson pitched 8 innings of one hit ball, and Urbina came into close out a 2-1 win. The Tiger bats came alive over the next 5 games as the Tigers scored 43 runs. The result was a 6 game win streak to close the month that featured 3 consecutive walk-off homers.

Comings, Goings, and Doctor Appointments
June 1st marked the return of Dmitri Young from his broken leg. Unfortunately, Chris Shelton went on the disabled list the same day with a foot injury. On June 21st, the Tigers shook up their bullpen and demoted Steve Colyer in favor of Franklyn German.

Brandon Inge broke his finger trying to lay down a bunt which prompted the recall of back up catcher Mike DiFelice. Also, Greg Norton went on the disabled list with a sore knee. To replace Norton the Tigers called up Marcus Thames who was torching AAA pitching.

Alex Sanchez tweaked his hamstring near the end of the month which caused him to miss several games, but didn’t require a trip to the DL.

By the Numbers
The late offensive surge helped to bolster the Tigers’ offensive stats for the month. Their batting average and slugging percentage remained strong, but their on base average dropped considerably from where it had been the first two months.

The pitchers had a very strong month across the board. Most notably, the batting average against was a league best .246. Also impressive was holding the opposing slugging percentage under .400. So what changed for the pitchers? Were they striking out more batters? Nope (Sea. K/9=6.37 Jun K/9=6.36). Were they walking fewer batters? Not really (Sea. K/BB=1.75 Jun K/BB=1.92) So what’s the explanation? Maybe the pitching staff benefitted from pitching to pitchers in interleague play. Maybe they did well with runners in scoring position. Maybe the defense helped them out more than in other months?

Who’s Hot
It’s all about Pudge. He went 43 for 86 and finished the month at .500. His line for the month: .500/.542/.733. Oh yeah, and he was 4-4 in stolen bases as well.

Also especially strong for the Tigers was the third base position. Brandon Inge won the job by hitting .372/.431/.628 for the month before getting injured and turning the position over to Eric Munson. Munson stepped right in and hit .291/.391/.600.

I don’t know if Carlos Guillen should be listed as a hot player, because he just keeps putting up great numbers every month. It was more of the same in June where he hit .321/.360/.613.

As for the pitchers Jason Johnson posted a 2.36 ERA over 5 starts. Most impressive is that he allowed only 5 walks and no home runs in 34 and a third innings pitched. Nate Robertson continued to impress by posting a 2.98 ERA and going 3-0 in six starts.

Who’s Not
The Tigers outfield had a very rough month. Here are the OPS numbers for the guys who played the bulk of the games in the outfield:

White       .547
Sanchez     .586
Higginson   .694
Monroe      .731

At least Sanchez was 7 for 8 in stolen base attempts before tweaking his hamstring.

Marcus Thames Tiger debut has been a disappointment. He’s 1 for 17 and hasn’t really even hit a ball hard yet.

Jeremy Bonderman only managed 24 innings pitched over his five outings. In those 24 innings he walked 14 batters, albeit while striking out 27. However, his 6.75 ERA has people questioning whether or not he should still be starting.

Mike Maroth managed a 4.60 ERA, but I’m not sure how. In 31 innings he allowed 5 homeruns, 37 hits, and 10 walks. He offset that with only 12 strikeouts.

The bullpen also continued to struggle for the month.

Lowlight of the Month
While the last inning losses to the Mets were disappointing, the one that is sticking with me was the 6-5 loss to Minnesota. Esteban Yan’s collapse and Trammell’s mismanagement of the bullpen in that game, right after the Tigers had fought back to tie it were devastating. It further weakened any confidence in the bullpen, and brought out a flood of second guessing about Tram’s managing. Just ugly all around.

Highlight of the Month
Another month, and another list of candidates. Jason Johnson’s one hit performance was spectacular. And the three walk-off home runs in front of big crowds are definitely worty candidates. However, I’m giving the nod to Pudge’s performance this month. It was simply unlike anything I’d ever seen before, and I’ll probably ever see again.

Looking Ahead
The Tigers have a brutal stretch heading into the All Star break, thanks in large part to Bud Selig. In Bud’s quest to prove that interleague play really does boost attendance, MLB makes sure to schedule 4 of the 6 interleague series on weekends (conveniently right when school let’s out and attendance jumps up anyways). The result is that the Tigers have a 10 game road trip with no off days despite traveling from Colorado to New York.

What will make this trip especially brutal is that the bullpen will be depleted in Colorado, and then they’ll have to face the Yankees. Throw in a 4 game series in Minnesota and the Tigers could be in a world of hurt come the All Star game.

After the break, the Tigers should get Brandon Inge back. This has to mean more rest/DH days for Pudge who will be playing pretty much every day and as an All Star won’t actually get a break.

After the All Star break the Tigers start with 4 games at home against the Yankees. The last 13 games are against the AL Central, which includes the first six games against the White Sox. That’s why I wouldn’t expect to see any deals until right before the trade deadline. The stretch before the break, and the first couple series after the break will determine if this team will buy, sell, or hold.