The Tiger Beat: Hot stove warming

It’s just about that time.

The Tigers put in a valiant effort last night, but even a surprise visit from J.K. Simmons didn’t bring its usual luck (though it was delightful to hear him say he had cursed the Guardians). The Tigers will look ahead to today’s afternoon game for a hopeful win, but in the meantime, we’ve got all sorts of news tidbits for you about the Tigers and much more.

Also, with less than 10 days left until the trade deadline, expect plenty of speculation to grow in the coming days.

Let’s get into it.

Detroit Tigers News:

• MLB dot com assembled a list of dark horse candidates for the major season awards. For AL MVP they gave a nod to Riley Greene, saying :

Greene’s bat has packed quite a wallop thanks to his extreme uppercut swing, but he is doing more than showcasing his power; he is becoming a more complete hitter. Non-fastballs have given him fits at times in the past, but this season, Greene is batting .292 with a .595 slugging percentage against breaking balls and offspeed pitches. That’s helped him post a bevy of personal bests, including a 140 wRC+, which ranks eighth among qualified AL hitters.

• Tarik Skubal is already generating a lot of free agent chatter and he still has a full season left. But it begs the question: why can’t smaller market teams keep their talent?
• The crew at FanGraphs explain why Gleyber Torres is so annoying . (It’s because he’s very, very good)
• Very sad news for a former Tiger. Steven Moya and his family are in our thoughts.

AL Central News:

• The Twins could be big sellers at the deadline, reportedly open to offers on “rental” players.

MLB News:

• Who has the worst defense among contending teams?
• Looks like Rafael Devers can play first base, just not for the Red Sox.
• Which front offices are under the most pressure ahead of the trade deadline? ($)
• This is nuts.

• Whoever picked this photo is a diabolical genius.

• These certainly are uniforms.