Here we go! Tigs vs. Indians

Spotlight turning to Indians

There has been a not-so-subtle shift among baseball pundits in recent days when it comes to the Tigers' pennant hopes.

The Tigers' ability to bash the ball isn't being doubted. It's the brutal spring experienced by the pitching staff that has many of the most visible baseball commentators second-guessing themselves for favoring the Tigers.

That's not necessarily a bad thing. It was early in spring training that manager Jim Leyland made a point of telling everybody that the Indians, not the Tigers, are the favorites to win the AL Central Division.

It's always more comfortable to have the spotlight on somebody else and, at that point, the Tigers were getting way too much attention too early to please Leyland.

After watching the Tigers pitchers over the past few weeks, the experts are beginning to hedge their bets. Uncertainty has crept into the starting rotation, newcomer Dontrelle Willis is searching for something -- anything -- to get him out of the doldrums, two key pitchers are sidelined with injuries and the setup situation needs attention.

Tim Kurkjian, ESPN The Magazine's senior writer and baseball analyst, said Thursday on the "Mike & Mike Show" that he changed his pick for the AL Central three days ago.

"And I'll tell you why," Kurkjian said. "I'm just really worried about the Detroit bullpen."

His conclusion: "The Indians are going to beat the Tigers."

Not everybody is shying away from the Tigers. Sports Illustrated is picking the Tigers to win it all by beating the Cubs in the World Series. But magazine deadlines being what they are, it's a safe bet SI's decision was made well before the frailties of the Tigers' pitching were exposed.

There is a curious suggestion in SI's analysis of the Tigers and it concerns Brandon Inge and Miguel Cabrera. The magazine says the Tigers would be better off keeping Inge and "making him their everyday third baseman and taking advantage of his spectacular defense."

The reasoning is that Inge's defense will be missed when exchanged for Cabrera's "indifferent" -- that's SI's word -- effort at the hot corner.

"Stationing Cabrera in left field and restoring Inge at third will help the Tigers' pitchers, and it would come at little offensive cost," the magazine says. "Inge would take the lineup spot of current left fielder Jacque Jones, who hits for better average but with less power than Inge."

We're betting Cabrera stays at third base.