Detroit Tigers links: Patient trade deadline approach backfiring for Tigers

We tried our best to find a silver lining after Shane Greene's start against the Seattle Mariners on July 21, when he allowed five runs on 4 2/3 innings in a heartbreaking 11-9 loss. The first inning didn't go well, but a cutter-heavy approach could help him patch things over until the Detroit Tigers could acquire another starting pitcher at the trade deadline, right?

Wrong. Greene was shelled again on Sunday, allowing five runs on 11 hits in 4 1/3 innings against the Boston Red Sox. It was Greene's seventh consecutive start with at least four runs allowed, and his sixth in a row spanning five innings or less. While Greene flounders, American League competitors like the Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals have made waves by acquiring starting pitchers Scott Kazmir and Johnny Cueto, respectively, over the past week. Both teams had a need for starting pitching, but neither had a black hole at the back of their rotation like Greene.

Meanwhile, the Tigers are still playing the waiting game. They were indecisive about their actions last week, and have made no move to act as the MLB non-waiver trade deadline approaches. Will they buy? Will they sell? At this point, it might not matter. Greene has given up 17 runs in 13 2/3 innings in three starts since returning from the minor leagues, and the Tigers haven't won a game he has started since May 20.

Time is running out for this Tigers team -- their playoff odds are down to 19.3 percent on Monday morning, according to Fangraphs-- and a trade this week would have paid off a lot more three weeks ago. Manager Brad Ausmus isn't losing confidence in his group, and while on-field results may say otherwise, I can't blame him for trying to stay positive.

oY? Examining the Reverse Platoon Split of Yoenis Cespedes - Banished to the Pen
Yoenis Cespedes can't hit lefties this season, which seems odd.

ESPN's Karl Ravech: Tigers still in mix as AL wild card contender - Detroit Free Press, Anthony Fenech
"I think they're as strong as anybody else. If you ask me do you take the Tigers today and the Blue Jays today, if you added to each, who is a lot better or who's better? It's a push to me."

Pessimism of Price's agent doesn't sway Tigers - The Detroit News, Chris McCosky
The Tigers may or may not deal David Price before the trade deadline, but it's hard to see them forking over $200 million to keep him this offseason.

Tigers might trade Cespedes ... to keep him? - FOX Sports, Ken Rosenthal
This was outed a bit over the weekend, but Yoenis Cespedes' contract provides an interesting wrinkle for whoever owns him at the end of the season.

Royals interested in Martin Prado - Royals Review, Max Rieper
This was the biggest news to happen in Kansas City over the weekend, right?

Indians won't trade Mike Aviles while his daughter battles leukemia in Cleveland - Let's Go Tribe, Jason Lukehart
This speaks volumes about the Cleveland Indians organization. Kudos to their front office for keeping things in perspective.

Yankees 7, Twins 2: Nasty sixth sinks Minnesota - Twinkie Town, Jesse Lund
The Twins are just 3-6 since the All-Star break, so the Tigers haven't lost any ground in the AL wild card race.

White Sox 2, Indians 1: Bring out your brooms - South Side Sox, Josh Nelson
The White Sox swept four games in Cleveland over the weekend, putting them just one game behind the Tigers in the AL Central.

Ten Years, One Pitch: Franklin Guiterrez redeems the Mariners and himself in 6-5 walk off over Blue Jays - Lookout Landing, Matthias Ellis
If you're looking for a silver lining, at least Franklin Gutierrez is burning other teams' bullpens too.