Today marks a pivotal point for the Detroit Tigers, as they begin a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox. Entering tonight’s game, the White Sox lead the Tigers by a game and a half in the American League Central division. If the Tigers can manage to win all three games, they’ll find themselves alone in first place.

I’d be lying if I said that this series will make or break the 2012 season for Detroit, but it’s certainly a good time for them to prove whether or not they belong in the playoffs, as well as determining if and what trades we should make before the July 31st deadline.

There’s been a lot of speculation that the Tigers are looking to acquire a starting pitcher like James Shields or Ryan Dempster, but I think the asking price for both might be a little more than I’d be comfortable with giving up. If Detroit wants to add someone to the rotation, a guy like Jason Vargas would make a lot more sense to me.

It’s a lot more likely that they’ll end up trading for a middle infielder, such as Willie Bloomquist, Jose Altuve or Aaron Hill. Overall, the rotation has been good enough for us to win the division, but the Tigers have yet to get any sort of offensive production from anyone they’ve had playing second. Does this mean the end for Ryan Raburn? Although it’s far from a certainty, I’d imagine the Tigers would look into releasing him if they need to create room for their 25-man roster.

Tonight, Justin Verlander will square off against Jake Peavy in what should be a very well pitched ballgame. The Tigers have played well as of late, winning eight of their last ten games. The White Sox will look to rebound after their last two games against the Boston Red Sox.