Coming into the season, the Detroit Tigers were a team that odds makers made one of the betting favorites to win the American League Central. Early on, Detroit struggled, much to the chagrin of gamblers who had placed bets before the year at Las Vegas sports books. Tuesday, those gamblers took a big deep breath after the Tigers reclaimed the top spot in the division from the Cleveland Indians. The Indians had been the feel good story in the seasons first two months, but have struggled mightily in June. Justin Verlander became the latest pitcher to carve up the Indians lineup on Tuesday night. Verlander has been one of the best pitchers in baseball for several years now, and he was one of the reasons that odds makers were high on the Tigers this season. Verlander has already thrown two no-hitters in his career, and on Tuesday he flirted with history once again. Eventually, Cleveland broke through and got a hit off Verlander, but the Tigers ace was able to complete the job and move Detroit back into first place. The Tigers, White Sox, and Twins have all been hot in recent weeks, but Detroit did not have as big of a hole to dig out of as the other two teams. Cleveland, meanwhile, has had underdog gamblers giddy with their play in 2011. Their young talent was melding well with the veterans, and analysts believed the Indians could have been for real. The pitching has remained strong through their recent slump, while the offense has been nearly non-existent. Shin-Soo Choo and Carlos Santana were being counted on to do much of the heavy lifting for Cleveland, and neither has performed up to the expected level. Choo has struggled after receiving a DUI, and Santana has yet to find a groove at the plate. Despite the rough stretch, the Indians had held on to first place until Tuesday. Minnesota received good and bad news on Tuesday. Joe Mauer is close to returning from the disabled list. The move will amount to nothing more than a switch of great players, with Justin Morneau heading to the DL with a wrist injury.

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