MONDAY MORNING MANAGER: Week 13

National League: We Barely Knew Thee

(my weekly take on the Tigers)

Last Week: 5-1
This Week: (7/3-5: at Oak; 7/7-9: at Sea)

How come the Milwaukee Brewers got to switch to the National League?

Here's to a return to 19th century Detroit baseball, when the franchise was in the National League. Charlie Bennett's team.

The Tigers are done with interleague play. Well, phooey. Back to beating up on the Indians and the Royals. Maybe the Twins, too -- if they ever return to this galaxy.

Our Blessed Boys went 15-3 against the NLers. It didn't hurt that not only were they interleague games (the NL is being lapped by the AL these days), but they were against the dregs, otherwise known as the NL Central.

But again, the Tigers did what a first-place team is supposed to do: wipe their feet on the game's doormats.

But there's more fodder to come, AL-style, before next week's All-Star Break: the Oakland A's and Seattle Mariners, West Divisioners who aren't exactly the cream of the league's crop. They're more like day old bagels. But the Tigers can't play shoddy defense and give up big innings, as they did against the Pirates over the weekend, and expect to win. The A's and the Mariners aren't that bad.

The Tigers have a real shot at 60 wins before the break. Not bad, considering they've often needed to overlap into the following season to get a 60th victory.

Prediction: 60-28 at All-Star time.

That's still 45-25 minus those NL buffoons.