BY GEORGE EICHORN of the Detroit Monitor

    Fasten your seat belts, Detroit Tigers fans, your team is taking you on a pennant race!

    I know it’s only May and there are four full months of baseball to be played but fans of the Tigers appear to be bracing for a chase to the American League Central Division title. Manager Jim Leyland’s first-place ballclub appear to have many of the ingredients necessary to contend for a crown.

   Number one is pitching — always has been and always will be. The Tigers are blessed in 2009 with an outsatanding 1-2-3 pitched punch from righthanders Justin Verlander, Edwin Jackson and rookie Rick Porcello. The trio has combined to make the Tigers a contender. Verlander leads the majors in strikeouts and has been "lights out" of late, Jackson was a steal coming over from the defending AL Champion Tampa Bay Rays and 20-year-old Porcello has demonstrated the maturity of a veteran starter — trying to capture his fifth win in a row on May 27 in Kansas City.

   The concern is the the number 4 and 5 starters — righty Armando Galarraga and (at the moment at least) Dontrelle Willis. Galarraga has not pitched well since members of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association gave him his 2008 Rookie of the Year Award on April 29, 2009 at Detroit’s Comerica Park. I hope this is not like the Sports Illustarted (SI) jinx. Willis, meanwhile, pitched well his last couple starts. One of these two spots in the starting rotation could end up with veteran Jeremy Bonderman who is completing his rehabilitation following off-season surgery.

  As for the Tigers bullpen — closer Fernando Rodney has been effective enough. He’s taken over the role perfected the past several years by the retired Todd Jones. Rodney is supported by flamethrower Joel Zumaya, veteran Zach Miner, lefty Bobby Seay, rookie Ryan Perry and former relief ace Brandon Lyon. It has been an effective group for the most part.

   The Tigers defense is much improved with Gerald Laird catching fulltime and Brandon Inge at third. Adam Everitt is steady at shortstop, with Placido Polance covering the ground at second and Miguel Cabrera — while no Gold Glove — making progress defensively at first. The outfield is anchored by center fielder (and Gold Glove candidate) Curtis Granderson, right-fielder Magglio Ordonez and a cast in left field, including Josh Anderson (hitting over .300) and (when healthy) Carlos Guillen and Marcus Thames.

   The Tigers have received excellent hitting this spring from Cabrera who is one of baseball’s pure hitters and one worthy every penny that owner Mike Ilitch and general manager Dave Dombrowski pay him. The Tigers can only win this thing should Cabrera carry them at the plate, in my humble opinion.

   Ordonez has been emerging from a season-long hitting slump as has Polanco. Detroit needs both these guys plus more singles, doubles and triples off the bat of Granderson. He has a home run punch in 2009 but not much else. Inge continues his fine hitting and even Laird is providing some key hits. Everitt and Ramon Santiago are giving the Tigers a lift at the plate too!

   Yes, the Tigers appear to be for real in the weak Central. No one deserves credit more than Leyland for his patience, coaching and coaxing the most out of this team. It’s high time the Tigers reward the skipper with a 2 or 3-year contract extension for the way his club has produced.

Buy George Eichorn’s book, "Detroit Sports Broadcasters On The Air," for $19.99 at www.amazon.com. Reach him at geichorn@yahoo.com.

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