Rough road to October

In 2006, the Tigers held a 2½-game lead over the White Sox coming out of the All-Star break. Many still doubted them, because they had not been to the postseason since 1987. Detroit proceeded to go 17-7 in its first 24 games after the break, opening up a 10-game lead in both the AL Central and wild-card races. The great start to the second half all but guaranteed a postseason berth, and if not for a final-weekend collapse, the Tigers would have won the division.

The second half of this season has not been the same. The Tigers are 13-19 since the break, and their pitching has fallen apart. The Tigers' second-half ERA is 5.72 after Monday's loss to the A's, second-worst in the AL (only the lowly Devil Rays are worse). Their 19 losses also are second-worst in the AL (the D-Rays have lost 20).

Fortunately for Detroit, Cleveland has been just as bad, going 13-17. The Tigers, up a game at the break, currently are tied with the Indians in the Central, but they already have squandered the opportunity to repeat their '06 performance and open up a lead in the division race. The Tigers now find themselves in a battle for the division and the wild card, since the Yankees and Mariners have better records. If the season ended today, only the AL Central champion would make the postseason.

TIGERS IN '07 SECOND HALF
W-L	13-19
ERA	5.72
Batting average	.280
Runs per game	4.9

Over a two-week span, Baseball Tonight will be celebrating the top home runs in the history of each current major league team. There will be video tributes, discussions and memorable anecdotes for all 30 squads. The Astros were the spotlight team Monday night. You can catch each home run segment on Baseball Tonight and come here the next morning for a recap of each day's selections.

HOUSTON ASTROS

Oct. 9, 2005: The Astros appeared hopelessly behind in Game 4 of the NLDS against the Braves, trailing 6-1 heading into the home half of the eighth inning, but home runs brought them back to life. Lance Berkman got the Astros to within a run with a grand slam in the eighth. Then, with two outs in the ninth, Brad Ausmus clubbed a game-tying home run off Braves reliever Kyle Farnsworth. The two teams played the equivalent of another game in extra innings before another unlikely hero, left fielder Chris Burke, hit a series-winning home run off Joey Devine in the bottom of the 18th.

Oct. 18, 2004: One of the best pitching duels in postseason history, Game 5 of the NLCS between the Astros and the Cardinals didn't see a run scored until the last possible moment, when Jeff Kent cracked a three-run walk-off home run against Cardinals reliever Jason Isringhausen. The two teams entered the ninth inning scoreless, with only one hit apiece, but after a single by Carlos Beltran and a walk to Lance Berkman, Kent became the hero of the day.

Oct. 15, 1986: Perhaps the greatest postseason game ever played had an unhappy ending for the Astros, but it had one of the team's most memorable moments. With the Astros trailing the Mets 4-3 in the bottom of the 14th, and their season two outs from ending, Billy Hatcher smashed a home run off the left-field foul screen on a pitch by Mets reliever Jesse Orosco, prolonging the contest. The Astros fell 7-6 in 16 innings, but Hatcher's home run long will be remembered for its impact on Houston sports history.

Franchise leaders: Jeff Bagwell, 449; Craig Biggio, 289; Lance Berkman, 245; Jimmy Wynn, 223; Glenn Davis, 166

Single-season leader: Jeff Bagwell, 47 (2000)

Did You Know? The last team to hit fewer than 50 home runs in a non-strike season was the 1979 Astros. Houston finished 89-73, 1½ games out of first place, despite hitting only 49 home runs (and four were hit by pitchers).

• Barry Bonds is leaning toward calling it a career after 2008. "[Playing] after next year? I don't know. I don't think so," Bonds said. "I don't think two years I can make." Bonds wants to play one more season because he still has some reachable goals. "Yeah, I need to win a championship and get 3,000 hits," he said. "That would be nice to [end] my career."

• The Yankees paid tribute to Alex Rodriguez before their game against the Orioles on Monday night, presenting him with the home plate from his 500th homer on Aug. 4 and a silver tray with an inscription from owner George Steinbrenner.

• Mariners outfielder Raul Ibanez was named AL Player of the Week. Ibanez posted a .481 batting average (13-for-27) with a 1.111 slugging percentage, .533 on-base percentage, five home runs and 11 RBIs in six games. Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and Pirates left-hander Tom Gorzelanny shared the NL honor. Tulowitzki hit .483 (14-for-29) with 12 RBIs. Gorzelanny went 2-0 and threw a complete-game shutout.

• Chase Utley's broken right hand was placed in a modified splint Monday, and he now can begin light tossing and hand exercises, MLB.com reports. He'll be re-examined by hand specialist Dr. Randall Culp on Aug. 20, and the Phillies will provide another update at that time. Utley has missed 16 games since being hit in the right hand by Washington rookie John Lannan on July 26.

• Sports, not politics, will be Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr.'s emphasis in his new role as a special envoy for the State Department. "This isn't a political statement for me, necessarily," Ripken said after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice formally announced his appointment. "This is about the kids and planning baseball and using baseball for good reasons." Ripken is the second "special sports envoy." Figure skating star Michelle Kwan is the other.

• Darryl Strawberry is in more legal trouble. The government has filed a lawsuit against the troubled baseball star, seeking to collect nearly a half-million dollars in unpaid taxes. The complaint filed Friday in West Palm Beach, Fla., was years in the making. Strawberry was indicted in 1994 on federal tax evasion charges and pleaded guilty the following year. He was sentenced to six months home confinement and ordered to repay $350,000 in taxes. In all, with penalties and interest, the government said Strawberry owes $481,656.86 as of May 31.