DETROIT -- It couldn't be playing out any better for the Yankees. At least, that's how it seems.
Whether that's true remains to be seen.
Ask the Yankees, and they'd wish for the AL Central race to go down to the wire, to a Tuesday one-game playoff preferably. Don't let the Twins or Tigers rest their players, or line up their pitching for the Division Series.
Well, Detroit lost 8-3 on Thursday to Minnesota, leaving the magic number at two and keeping its drought without a division title at 22 years (longer than every franchise but Milwaukee, Kansas City and Washington/Montreal).
So the champagne remained corked. But eventually it should flow.
MINNEAPOLIS -- If the rest of the Tigers have as much heart as Justin Verlander, Detroit will hang on in the AL Central.
But they still have to prove it.
Oh, Zack Greinke may deserve the AL Cy Young Award. But he never had to pitch a game like this.
A packed house (largest crowd at the Metrodome since Opening Day). His team having lost eight of 11 to turn a 6 1/2-game lead into three. His offense unable to get a big hit off Twins right-hander Carl Pavano, who has tamed more Tigers this year than Siegfried and Roy combined.
Yet Verlander did absolutely everything he could, putting on as impressive a performance as there has been this season considering the circumstances.
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action with a quick nod to what is ahead.
You Oughta Know ... That not even a little (OK, a lot of) rain could get in the way of the emerging Yankees juggernaut. The Bronx Bombers sat through a two-hour, 43-minute rain delay (40 minutes longer than it took Mark Buehrle to throw his perfect game) and won their seventh straight, beating the A's 6-3 to open up their lead in the AL East over Boston to 2 1/2 games.
It was a nice night for the two big winter additions -- CC Sabathia won his 10th game and Mark Teixeira homered -- and an even nicer night for Phil Hughes, who picked up his first career save.
Hughes kept the game ball, joining one autographed by Rivera that now sits in a glass case in his locker. "I don't know what's more valuable, Mariano Rivera's 500th or my first," Hughes said. "It's certainly a long way since spring training."
NEW YORK -- Curtis Granderson made sure every business card was laminated, the times and places immaculately engraved. He confirmed the restaurant reservations, paid for the hotel rooms, wrote down exact instructions for the subway to Yankee Stadium. This is how they would get to and from the airport; here was the nightclub where everyone would meet at 11:30 p.m., sharp. If Granderson didn't already have a pretty good job, he'd be a fine community organizer.
As it is, Granderson plays center field for the Detroit Tigers -- when he's not going to extraordinary lengths to make life a whole lot better for people he may or may not know. Searching for an escape from the daily rundown of athletes involved in steroid scandals, gunplay, drug use and assorted mayhem? Granderson might be ground zero for good work and good deeds.
In the 23 years since Leyland got his first managerial job, he's learned a lot. Not the least of which is that there are some things you just can't know.
Like whether a 20-year-old kid is really ready to pitch in the majors.
"I can't say I knew [Porcello] was ready, to be honest with you," the Tigers manager said. "I'd be lying if I said I knew he was ready, but I'd be telling you the truth if I said he was one of the best five we had.
"I still don't know if he's ready, but he's one of the best five, and you're supposed to take the best five up here. It's the big leagues."
MLB Power Rankings:Where MLB FanHouse's editors, writers and bloggers team up to break down the who's who and the what's what in the baseball world.
It's a funny thing, sometimes, to see how Power Rankings shape up over the course of the season. Just like when we started the year, there are a number of teams from one particular division sitting atop the rankings. Of course, there are plenty of surprises -- WHERE DID THE FREAKING GIANTS AND ROCKIES COME FROM?? -- and some other interesting stuff, like the fact that the Mets and Cubs just haven't been that good, which we discussed on the inaugural BaseCast recently.
OAKLAND -- The Tigers are in first place, winners of eight of their last 11 games, but manager Jim Leyland isn't satisfied.
"Our offense is going to have to step it up in the second half if we are going to stay in contention," Leyland said before Tuesday night's game in Oakland. "There is no question about that."
A day after the Tigers were held to one run by the A's young pitching staff, including 21-year-old lefty Brett Anderson, Leyland was still steamed at the pattern he's detected.
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.
You Oughta Know ... That the Marlins and Tigers are on fire.
Exactly two weeks ago, Florida was eight games behind Philadelphia. Since then the Marlins have gone 9-3, all in interleague play, to close within a game of first place. The hot streak includes four one-run wins and Thursday's 11-3 victory that sealed a sweep of the Orioles and ran Florida's win streak to five.
During this 12-game stretch, Hanley Ramirez has batted .400 with three home runs (one of them a grand slam Thursday) and 19 RBI while Cody Ross has hit .400 with five homers and 12 RBI.
In case you've been living under a rock for the past 17.2 innings, Dontrelle Willis is back. That frenetic, majestic delivery of his, which you see to the right, was a piece of Major League Baseball canon when he pitched for the Marlins. It was as Bob Gibson as one can get in this decade.
To understand the real-life resurgence of D-Train, I strongly suggest you read Andrew Johnson's piece. To understand his place in the history of The Dugout, I suggest you read our Wikipedia entry. Good Lord, I'm glad he's back.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
Remember 'Five Alive,' the juicy blend with five fruits that's fun for all the family? Well, Rick Porcello is a unique blend of rookie flavor who's reeled off five straight victories. You can hardly find that syrupy drink on the shelves anymore, but you can still find Porcello in about 30 percent of Yahoo! leagues. And that's not all there is to like about Porcello. After the jump, it's fun time for all fantasy owners! (sugar rush optional)
DETROIT -- It couldn't be playing out any better for the Yankees. At least, that's how it seems.
MINNEAPOLIS -- If the rest of the 
Starting Five
NEW YORK -- 
OAKLAND -- The Tigers are in first place, winners of eight of their last 11 games, but manager 
Starting Five
In case you've been living under a rock for the past 17.2 innings, 
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
