Can clutch hit spark Avila?: Alex Avila's tiebreaking, two-run single highlighted a three-run seventh that sent Detroit to a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. Avila, who entered the game batting .105 in his previous 11 contests, fought back from a 0-2 count to rip an outside slider up the middle for the go-ahead hit. "It was great," Avila said, as reported by the Detroit Free Press. "It makes up definitely for some of the hard hit balls right at guys, squeezing one through there and getting a big hit." (Updated 05/21/2012)
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 5/24/12).
Fantasy Analysis
Fantasy owners are starting to lose patience with Avila, who heads into Fantasy Week 8 (May 21-27) being started in just 75 percent of leagues. It's not hard to see why. Avila isn't living up to his Draft Day status. His numbers are definitely off. He has just a .269 BABIP this season after posting a .366 BABIP last season. His ground-ball rate (50 percent) and fly-ball rate (23.2 percent) are also askew from his normal career averages. The numbers suggest Avila should be headed for a market correction for the better at some point, so hopefully you have a little more patience to stick with him. Maybe Sunday's clutch hit will spark Avila on a nice offensive run. (Updated 05/21/2012).
05/23/2012 22:32 Kipnis' heroics lead Indians vs. Tigers
Jason Kipnis had three hits and scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning as the Cleveland Indians beat the Detroit Tigers 4-2 Wednesday night.
05/22/2012 22:25 Cheered Perez gets job done for Indians
Chris Perez, greeted by a standing ovation from the time he left the bullpen, worked another scary ninth inning for his 14th save as the Cleveland Indians ended a 10-game losing streak to Detroit with a 5-3 win over the Tigers on Tuesday night.
05/20/2012 19:47 Hit Parade for Week 8
Some catchers have been bitten by the injury bug in recent days, leaving some owners scrambling. Our Scott White shares some recommendations and helps set your lineups for Week 8 in his Hit Parade.
05/19/2012 19:22 Pirates bounce back, edge Tigers
Andrew McCutchen hit a pair of two-run homers and A.J. Burnett pitched six solid innings to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 4-3 win over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday.
When the Tigers named Alex Avila their starting catcher in 2011, it was a definite improvement over Gerald Laird, at least as far as Fantasy owners were concerned. But few expected him to be the best catcher in the American League, not only earning a starting nod in the All-Star game but also winning a Silver Slugger. And unlike many overachievers who get off to hot starts only to fade down the stretch, he actually got better as the season went on, hitting .306 with a .916 OPS in the second half. The power wasn't so much a surprise; what really set him apart was his patience. He led all catchers (minimum 400 at-bats) with a .389 on-base percentage. Granted, he flopped in the playoffs, with a sore knee taking all the punch out of his bat. But the Tigers attribute that injury, among others, to overuse and have said they'll bring in a legitimate backup catcher for Avila. Because he doesn't have the pedigree of a Buster Posey or Matt Wieters, Avila might slip further in drafts than his numbers say he should. If he lasts beyond the first six or seven rounds, he's a bargain. (Updated 2/8/12)
Actual 
AccuScore Projections) Note: Points are rounded down.
