The Sublime Genius of Jim Leyland

It's only July, but the Tigers just got themselves one step closer to the world series; and they did it by losing.

If the current standings hold to form, the Tigers and Angels would face each other in the first round of the playoffs (Red Sox vs Indians would be the other matchup.) Last weekend, the Detroit Tigers had a three game set with the Anaheim Angels. At the time, the Angels were reportedly considering various trade proposals with the Rangers that would land them Mark Teixeira. However during those negotiations, the Angels went on one of the most prolific offensive surges of their franchise's history, scoring 34 runs en route to a three game sweep of the Tigers. That production convinced Angels GM Bill Stoneman that his team's offense would be fine with the likes of Garret Anderson and Casey Kotchman protecting Vladimir Guerrero. The Angels bowed out of the race for Teixeira, who went to the Braves, and the Tigers now have a first round bye in the playoffs.

It's far-fetched to suggest that the Tigers willingly tanked the Angels series, but it is interesting to note that in the games immediately following the sweep, the Angels were shutout on four hits (Anderson and Kotchman a combined 0 for 8) by the Mariners and the Tigers gave a pitcher named Tata a win in his major league debut as Detroit beat the A's, 5-2.

That Jim Leyland is a wily old dog.