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	Monday, July 17
	Midseason report: Detroit Tigers By Marty Bernoski ESPN.com
	New manager. New ballpark. Nine-player deal for a two-time MVP RBI machine. Same old result for the Detroit Tigers. A lot of changes and little to show should be the headline of the Tigers' first half. First-half MVP: Bobby Higginson has forgotten all about last season's numbers (.239, 12, 46) and his surgically repaired right big toe, which caused him to miss most of the second half. It's been a different story in 2000. Through 81 games, Higginson leads the Tigers in RBI (51) and runs (48). He was named AL Player of the Week June 12-18, batting . 545 with five homers, nine runs and 12 RBI. Higginson finished the month with 10 homers, blasting three on June 24 at Cleveland. He also matched a career-high seven RBI (4-for-4, two three-run homers) on June 13 against Toronto. Biggest disappointment: Juan Gonzalez hit 39 homers and had 128 RBI for Texas last season. In '98, he blasted 45 homers and knocked in 157. So after playing in 66 of the Tigers' first 81 games, Gonzalez is batting .274 with 13 homers and only 33 RBI. Various foot injuries and trade rumors have been a factor in Gonzalez's struggle to break loose. There's still plenty of time for Gonzalez to get his 30-plus homers and 100-plus RBI for the fifth consecutive season. But what uniform will he be wearing when the July 31 trade deadline passes? Biggest surprise: Todd Jones has never had more than 31 saves in a season. As of July 5, he nailed down an AL-best 24 saves in 25 opportunities. He's allowed only two homers, walked seven while striking out 33 in 30 1/3 innings and has saved 20 of the Tigers' last 29 wins. Jones didn't even allow an inherited runner to score until May 14, a span of 15 appearances. Since allowing two earned runs on May 24, Jones has held opponents scoreless for 14 1/3 innings while recording 11 saves through July 5. Second-half goals: It's a simple plan. Produce more runs. The Tigers are last in runs scored (373) and on-base pct. (.337) through games of July 6. A .273 average and 148 runs (5.5 runs per game) scored in June helped the Tigers to a 15-12 record. When scoring four or more runs, Detroit is 30-12. But when the opponent scores first, the Tigers are 10-26. Grade: -- Manager Phil Garner brought the Brewers to Detroit. The Tigers are showing signs of life, but they must maintain it in the second half. (Scale: 1 to 4 baseballs; 1 = worst, 4 = best) We told you what we thought of the Tigers' first-half performance, now you've told us. Here is what you had to say about what the Tigers have to do in the second half.		ALSO SEE Midseason Feedback: Tigers MLB midseason reports ESPN.com's All-Star Game coverage Kurkjian: Stories of the first half Ten second-half questions for the AL Ten second-half questions for the NL