2MAsports's video: Talking Tigers with: 97 1 The Ticket s Dennis Fithian

All the pieces to the puzzle have yet to come together for the Detroit Tigers so far, this season mainly due to some key injuries and inconsistent bullpen play. As a result, the Tigers have been hovering around the breakeven mark thus far this season and continue to look for consistency all across the diamond. Tigers manager Brad Ausmus knows his club has yet to reach their full potential this season. “I don’t sweat that kind of stuff at all. The (American League) Central Division is kind of crowded. No one’s really run away with it. We’ve had some injuries here in the first month, so I don’t really worry about it. I don’t think we’ve come close to hitting our stride.” The Tigers by record yes, are a middle of the road team however, things may just be on the uptick because for the first time all year they are about to receive a clean bill of health. Right fielder J.D. Martinez returned Friday night and almost immediately made his presence felt, hitting two home runs Saturday, further deepening an already deep lineup. It wasn’t a sensational West Coast trip, by any means however, it’s safe to say, given the circumstances, a 4-5 finish was good. Especially considering they easily could have been 6-3 if not for two consecutive blown saves by Francisco Rodriguez two weekends ago in Oakland. On the trip, there was good starting pitching. The Tigers lead the major leagues with 22 quality starts in 36 games. The backbone of any good team is starting pitching, and the Tigers, so far, have that. With all of this in mind, Detroit finds themselves in the thick of the American League Central race. The Tigers are bunched in a group of teams in the Central that have yet to show their true colors. The Twins lead the division, but nobody expects them to stay there. The Indians haven’t taken off but will sooner rather than later. The Royals and White Sox aren’t good. “You know how things go in baseball,” Ausmus said. “You have a hot month or a hot couple of months, and it changes the whole framework of the division. So, yeah, the best is still ahead. The good thing is that, overall, we’ve gotten good starting pitching, which is a big piece of winning baseball.” With all of this as a backdrop now seems as the perfect time to check in and get an accurate pulse on the state of the Tigers. Dennis Fithian from 97.1 The Ticket joined 2Man Advantage Podcasts Kevin McShan on Monday, to get us all up to speed on all the latest news surrounding the old English D.