Would Victor Martinez benefit from a trip to the disabled list? When will Justin Verlander be back? Are the Kansas City Royals terrifying? These questions and more in this week's mailbag.
The Detroit Tigers seem like they have been treading water lately, a notion supported by a 5-5 road trip. While this recent stretch of mediocrity against the division tapers them from the torrid intradivisional pace they were on earlier in the season, there is nothing wrong with a .500 record on a long road trip. The way they lost a couple of those games was unfortunate -- they were a nearly-gloved line drive away from another series win and a 6-4 trip -- but they are still among the best teams in the American League and have gotten through most of an early season gauntlet in relatively good shape despite little-to-no production from Victor Martinez and Justin Verlander.