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AL Central Notes: Tigers, Valverde, Twins

The Tigers, now just two wins away from advancing to the World Series, have the day off before hosting the Yankees in Detroit tomorrow night. Here are some links from the only division in baseball that did not feature a 90-win team in 2012...

• Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski built Detroit's starting rotation for the postseason and it's working, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com writes. "These four guys have the capability of shutting down anyone when they're throwing good," Dombrowski said of Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Doug Fister and Anibal Sanchez.
• John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press examines the dynamic between Jose Valverde, the closer who can no longer be relied upon, and Jim Leyland, the manager who must juggle egos and matchups as a result of Valverde's poor performances. In my opinion Valverde's free agent stock has diminished considerably this past month. If MLB executives share this view, agent Scott Boras could have difficulty finding serious interest in his new client.
• Twins senior director of minor league operations Jim Rantz announced that he will retire at the end of the year, the team announced. Rantz, 75, has been a member of the Twins' organization since its inception in 1961.

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