Detroit Tigers Links: Miguel Cabrera's 300th Home Run & Gerald Laird's Surprising Season

Miguel Cabrera hit his 300th career home run, Gerald Laird is having a surprisingly successful return to Detroit, and Justin Verlander breaks some lumber. These stories and the death of the Carlos Quentin rumors in today's Morning Prowl.

Miguel Cabrera and his Proud 300 - Walkoff Woodward, Josh Worn
"The question you ask regarding Miguel Cabrera these days is not is he great, the question now is will he avoid the injury plague and how long can he play?"

MLB Trade Rumors: Tigers Reportedly Scouting Pitchers James Shields And Anibal Sanchez - SB Nation Detroit, Dave Ryan
While Shields' name has been in the rumor mill for a couple weeks now, this is the first I've seen Sanchez mentioned. And I'm interested.

Justin Verlander’s triple-digit fastball destroys Gordon Beckham’s bat on check-swing (VIDEO) - Big League Stew, Mark Townsend
I have watched this clip about 30 times since Friday evening. It's just that good.

Commentary: As trade rumors swirl, best move for Tigers is to stand pat - The Detroit News, Jerry Green
"There is no urgent need to make a trade now for a pitcher or a second baseman who might stick with the Tigers for two months."

Detroit Tigers rumored target Carlos Quentin close to extension with San Diego Padres - MLive, James Schmehl
Quentin's deal with the Padres is rumored to be for $27 million over 3 years. Any hopes of seeing him in Detroit this season are erased the minute he signs on that dotted line.

Porcello, Boesch put Tigers back on top - ESPN SweetSpot Blog, Christina Kahrl
"The real-world season’s long march showed that the problem with what you might glibly dismiss as a stars-and-scrubs approach to roster construction is that you can’t really get away with scrubs, not even in the AL Central."

Unsung Hero: Gerald Laird - Motor City Bengals, John Verburg
"But something marvelous and unexpected has happened, not only has Gerald Laird been a respectable backup catcher, he has flourished in the role in 2012."

Second Base Insanity - DesigNate Robertson
"No, people are STILL hung up on second base, as if it’s the most important offensive position on the baseball diamond."

Berry: "I just wanted to get it over with" - Beck's Blog, Jason Beck
The quote above is in reference to Berry's diving catch to end the game on Friday night. This guy just keeps getting more and more awesome every day.

Around the AL Central:

Game 95: Orioles 4, Indians 3 - Let's Go Tribe
"The offense again, at least until the ninth inning, was non-existent, as Orioles starter Zach Britton went 6 shutout innings, allowing just four hits and walking two batters."

Tigers 6, White Sox 4: Swept in Detroit - South Side Sox, Jim Margalus
"Also, the Tigers swept them, and now lead the AL Central by 1 1/2 games after entering the series trailing by that margin. The Sox hadn't suffered a sweep all season."

Twins 7, Royals 5: Deduno and Doumit Lead Charge, Minnesota Wins Series - Twinkie Town
"On the mound Deduno followed in the steps of Scott Diamond and Cole De Vries, proving that you can deliver in any single game even if you own mediocre stuff."

Royals Lose Predictably to Twins - Royals Review
"The Royals sort of mounted a comeback. Butler hung dong. Guthrie had dongs hung off of him. It was a game we've all seen a thousand times before."