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Obviously, tonight it just one of 162 ballgames the Detroit Tigers will play this year.
But it could carry with it a boatload of consequences, and might dictate in large part how Dave Dombrowski handles the roster over the next 72 hours.
The much-discussed David Price toes the slab tonight for a Tigers team that’s been sliding downhill faster and faster of late.
They have won just 3 of 10. They are a scant 4.5 games from occupying the cellar in the entire American League.
But. There is always a but.
Despite the team's shockingly close proximity to dead last, they are at the same time only 4.5 games out of a playoff spot.
Blame Bud Selig, blame the genius that butchered the baseball playoff system, blame anybody you want. But the fact remains that despite playing uninspired ball for the better part of two or three months now, this baseball team is still right in the thick of things.
Am I saying they are a great team? A bona-fide contender as we look at them today? No and no. Not even close.
But any team can rattle off 2 or 3 wins in a row. And if you do that in this sad-sack American League Wild Card race, you’ll find yourself breathing down the neck of the leaders in no time flat.
All indications are that Dombrowski and his cronies feel the same way. Instead of rumors swirling about where Price will be shipped to or what kind of haul the team can get for Yoenis Cespedes, the rumblings today are about the Tigers acquiring valuable players from other teams.
Go figure. Play mediocre, then play a little worse, lose your most valuable hitter to injury in the process, go further in the tank, and when the dust settles, the front office is still intent on salvaging the 2015 season.
But there must be a hint of momentum to latch onto somewhere. If Price goes out and gets shelled tonight, and another game is lost in the standings, it’s going to be next to impossible to convince this fan base that going for the gold is even a remotely sane option.
However, if the ace southpaw goes out at 7:00 and shuts down his former mates, while the Twins pick up an L against Pittsburgh, suddenly it’s a 3.5 game deficit and buying instead of selling makes a little more sense.
Most fans seem to have lost patience with this club. And it’s understandable.
The back end of the rotation has been miserable, a guaranteed loss two out of every five games.
The lineup has been inconsistent, with at least a handful of players slumping at any given time.
Brad Ausmus has been in over his head since the Anibal Sanchez debacle in Baltimore.
Craig Monroe’s necktie/pocket square selection on the postgame show continues to defy every modern-day fashion rule and regulation.
But again, having said ALL that, the four-time defending AL Central champs are still a three-game winning streak from becoming a major factor in the race.
With Miguel Cabrera ramping up for a mid-August return, there would be nothing at all surprising to see this team playing meaningful games down the stretch in September.
For a little historical perspective, let’s remember the 1951 New York Giants. They trailed the powerhouse Brooklyn Dodgers by 13.5 games, and that was on August 11. But then came a torrid final six weeks, followed by the "Shot Heard 'Round the World," and boom, the Giants were National League champions.
The point being that a 4.5 game lead with two full months remaining on the schedule is a tenuous advantage at best.
The MLB is not quite the NBA and NHL in terms of leniency for playoff qualification, but it’s been trending disturbingly in that direction for years. The NFL will likely succumb to this purely financial lure and do the same very soon.
It’s time we stop pretending that the Tigers must be some regular season juggernaut to have a chance at the World Series.
It’s simply not the case.
Would I prefer it to be that way? Of course.
Would I give up my wife’s award-winning chocolate chip cookies for the next ten years if it meant the league would promise to go back to a system more in line with the game’s storied past? Without a doubt.
But this is the world we live in -- where you can be 48 and 51 on the doorstep of August and still feel like a contender instead of pretender at the all-important trade deadline.
Dave Dombrowski wants to give this team a chance. He refuses to pull the plug despite so many in Detroit wishing he would rip it right from the wall.
But in order for that plan to be set in motion, there must be actual signs of life.
Maybe it’ll come from David Price tonight.
If not, Dombrowski will have no choice. He’ll have to scrap today and look to tomorrow.
As difficult as that may be.
