The team is taking a winner-take-all approach to the seas

on."No one is taking credit for hanging it http://www.raysfanproshop.com/authentic-evan-longoria-jersey , but there is a new sign outside the Detroit Tigers spring training clubhouse in Lakeland, Fla. It shows a picture of the Commissioner’s Trophy, and says “Believe this is going to be US!! Don’t walk through this door until you do!” Manager Ron Gardenhire insists it wasn’t him. In fact, when he was initially asked about it by reporters, he said he hadn’t even seen it yet.Yeah, okay.Later, Gardenhire seemed to have bought into the aspirational message whole hog. He told MLB.com’s Jason Beck, “We’ve heard the rebuild, but the rebuild is from the front office. Inside the clubhouse and the coaching staff, we believe we’re going to win. We’re coming to the ballpark to put together a baseball team that’s going to win baseball games.”You might be inclined to scoff as such a lofty goal, but it represents a very important kind of disconnect between the team and the front office. General manager Al Avila recently indicated the Tigers were unlikely to be competitive for two or three more years. It was his way of shrugging off any expectations as the team continues to amass young talent in its farm system.It’s also something we’re seeing across baseball http://www.rangersfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-moore-jersey , as rebuilding teams seem to show a disinterest in even attempting to field a winning team, while hoarding prospects the way Smaug stockpiles his gold.Though Avila implied that the team won’t be competitive, the Tigers have another idea, and their idealism is... well, it’s infectious. For a team that no one is predicting to be very good, the Tigers — the players and coaches — seem blithely unaware of what baseball higher ups see in their immediate future. They are a team of men who want to get out on the field and win games. They are players in the prime of their lives who couldn’t give a hoot what baseball experts predict. A 90 or 100 loss season? The 2019 Tigers don’t think so. They think they’re going to the World Series. And I kind of want to believe them.It defies logic, and appeals to an animal-brained part of my fandom, but the enthusiasm and positivity the Tigers are demonstrating right out of the gate this year is catching. Almost the entire pitching staff was in Lakeland a week early, ready to get started. Many of the full squad are already present working out.This team wants to win.They aren’t willing to bide their time and accept a mandate from up above that says losing is beneficial. This isn’t a team that’s planning to tank. This is a team that wants to exceed expectation the way the 2017 Minnesota Twins did. Everyone predicted that the Twins, who had a 59-103 record in 2016, would return to the bottom of the division in 2017. Instead they faced the Yankees in the AL Wild Card game.Weird baseball miracles happen. They could happen for Detroit.The Tigers front office hasn’t made any moves to improve the team Ivan Rodriguez Jersey , but don’t tell the players that. New Tigers shortstop Jordy Mercer rolled into TigerFest last month eager to join the team (and his well-spoken approach to interviews is going to make him a popular target for sound bites this season). Nicholas Castellanos was featured in a recent MLB hype video, and the team is definitely feeding off that hype.There are a hundred reasons to count the Tigers out, but they don’t care.The Detroit Tigers think they’re going to win.Let’s believe them. Even if they don’t make it to the postseason, they are hoping to field a fun and exciting squad. A team that wants to be out there winning games is infinitely more enjoyable to watch that a team that accepts failure before they’re even at Opening Day.Whatever their record ends up being, seeing the Tigers lean into winning is making this spring training infinitely more interesting. PHOENIX (AP) — The Colorado Rockies were in search of a return to some form of normalcy on the heels of a wild four-game split with the San Diego Padres in which they scored 48 runs and allowed 44.Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon and Antonio Senzatela helped give the Rockies exactly that.Arenado homered and drove in three, Senzatela pitched one-run ball into the seventh inning and the Rockies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-1 Tuesday night.Article continues below ...Blackmon stayed hot with three hits, though he admitted to feeling less than 100 percent after the taxing San Diego series. The Rockies (39-35) took over second place in the NL West, a game up on the Diamondbacks, with their sixth straight win against Arizona.“I feel like I’m doing a good job of not trying to do too much,” Blackmon said. “My best approach is usually to see it http://www.rangersfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-moore-jersey , hit it.”Senzatela (6-5) equaled his longest outing of the season with 6 2/3 innings, allowing seven hits with five strikeouts and four walks.“He was the key to game,” Rockies manager Bud Black said of Senzatela. “‘Senza’ restored order. That was critical. This was in my opinion a big game.”The Rockies took a 2-0 lead on Arenado’s high drive into the left field seats off Arizona’s Merrill Kelly (7-7) with two out in the first. It scored Blackmon, who led off the game with a double down the right field line.“I’m just glad he’s on our team,” Arenado said of Blackmon. “Our offense goes as he goes, I’ve always said that.”Blackmon has reached base in 28 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the National League. He was named NL Player of the Week on Monday after getting 21 hits last week, and he’s the first player in Rockies history with at least three hits in five consecutive games.Jarrod Dyson bunted over Senzatela’s head for a base hit to lead off the fifth, took third on a single and scored on David Peralta’s fielder’s choice to make it 2-1. But the Rockies took control in the top of the sixth with four runs.Arenado doubled in David Dahl, and after Daniel Murphy reached on catcher’s interference, Ryan McMahon doubled to right field to drive in two runs.McMahon sprinted home on a wild pitch before the inning ended Prince Fielder Jersey , giving the Rockies a 6-1 lead.Ian Desmond’s single in the fourth extended his hitting streak to 11 games. Desmond and Dahl drove in single runs in the seventh.Kelly was charged with five earned runs and eight hits in six innings, striking out five. He had won his past three starts.The Diamondbacks fell to 14-17 at home this season.“I can’t explain it,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “I thought we were in a decent position. I thought we did a good enough job of it but that four-run sixth really took the wind of us.”ROCKIES MOVEColorado called up infielder Pat Valaika from Triple-A Albuquerque and designated pitcher Mike Dunn for assignment. Dunn had been with the Rockies since 2017 and made 121 appearances. “It was emotional,” Black said. “Mike understood all elements of the decision.”THAT ROXThe Rockies got their 2,000 win as a franchise.KLIFF NOTENew Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury attended the night’s game.ROOFTOP WEATHERTuesday tied for the third latest calendar date in Chase Field history that the stadium’s retractable roof was opened for a game. The record is June 27, 1998. Temperature at first pitch was 103 degrees.TRAINER’S ROOMDiamondbacks: IF Jake Lamb was scheduled to play first base for Triple-A Reno on Tuesday night in San Antonio. He’s been on the injured list since April 5 with a strained quadriceps.UP NEXTRockies: RHP Jon Gray (6-5, 4.39 earned run average) is set for his second start against Arizona this season Wednesday. He’s 2-3 in eight career starts against the Diamondbacks with both wins at Chase Field.Diamondbacks: RHP Zack Greinke (8-2, 2.65) goes into Wednesday’s start having not allowed a run over his last 13 1/3 innings.