Did the Tigers' sudden run of injuries finally catch up to them this afternoon in Minnesota?  Getting by without Magglio Ordonez was one thing.  But a lineup without either Maggs or Miguel Cabrera, not to mention the resting Pudge Rodriguez, was probably going to hit a pothole eventually.  I'd say a big zero on the scoreboard qualifies as that pothole.

But that's not giving enough credit to Nick Blackburn, is it?  You can say he didn't face Detroit's regular batting order, and he may well have benefited from that, but any time you can hold a major league lineup to three hits over seven innings, that's a rather impressive accomplishment.  Some of that good pitching juju was apparently passed along to Jesse Crain, who'd been something of a punching bag for the Tigers this season, but threw two scoreless innings of his own.

I'm not sure if bad juju had anything to do with Eddie Bonine's performance, but the artificial turf at the Metrodome certainly did.  The Twins didn't have to hit the ball that hard against Bonine.  Bunts and choppers did the job just fine.  (Doesn't that sound like a dish you can order at an Irish pub?  "I'll have the bunts and choppers, and a pint of Harp, please.")  I'm sure Carlos Guillen has seen more than enough of baseballs bouncing off that carpet. 

Jim Leyland says Cabrera should be back in the lineup for Thursday's opener against Seattle.  Between that and the grass surface of Safeco Field, the Tigers probably stand a more than decent chance of rebounding tomorrow.

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No need for a long recap tonight, is there?  This one was all about the long ball.  The Tigers' bats finally look like they're shaking off that early spring chill.  Initially, the only problem was that the home runs came with no one on base.  Gary Sheffield, Magglio Ordonez, and Carlos Guillen each hit solo shots to put Detroit on the scoreboard.  But Justin Morneau struck a big blow in the sixth with a two-run blast off Nate Robertson.  That seemed like it might be the decisive moment of the game, until the fans at Comerica Park finally got an idea of why Miguel Cabrera is expected to be Detroit's Next Top Baseball Superstar.

As you probably know (unless you tried to shield yourself from the ugly truth), Cabrera came into the game batting .205/.300/.318 with one home run and three RBIs.  But with three hits in his previous two games, maybe it was finally starting to heat up.  Tonight, it all came together when both Cabrera and his team probably needed it most.  With Ordonez on second base, Cabrera sent a 1-2 pitch from Jesse Crain into the Tigers bullpen.  And for the second straight night, Detroit called it a comeback. 

If there's a pun, I suppose it's intended, but isn't it a relief to see the other team's bullpen cough up two games in a row?  (Let's not talk about Todd Jones giving up that deep fly to Delmon Young which Ryan Raburn kept in the park, but couldn't quite keep in his glove...)

Two-game series or not, a sweep is a sweep.  And winning their first series of the season comes at a great time, with the Tigers heading to Cleveland for the next two games.  How might that AL Central race look by Friday?