DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers have clawed within two games of the AL Central lead heading into a tough stretch of the schedule.
Detroit has won four straight series, taking two out of three games from each of the Twins, Rays, Royals, and Cardinals over the past two weeks.
4-team race in AL Central
The Guardians lost to the Astros while the Tigers were off on Thursday night, which means Cleveland’s lead shrank by a half-game. Detroit now trails the Guardians by 2 games and the Royals by a half-game heading into this weekend.
Since their 5-0 start to the season, the Tigers have played exactly .500 baseball, going 13-13. Most importantly, they’ve continued last year’s trend of playing well against division rivals.
The Tigers are 4-3 this season against the Twins and 2-1 against the Royals. The Twins, thanks to a 10-game winning streak, are only a half-game behind Detroit, making it a tight four-team race atop the AL Central.
You might think it’s a bit early for scoreboard watching, but the Tigers aren’t a team that has much room for error. Every single one of these early season games is important.
Why Tigers are in it
Thanks to the resurgence of Kenta Maeda in his last two starts, the Tigers are rolling with five solid starting pitchers in the rotation. Tarik Skubal and Jack Flaherty look like aces, while Reese Olson, Maeda, and Casey Mize give Detroit a chance to win on most nights.
The offense is still a major question mark, but it’s gotten a boost from rookie outfielder Wenceel Perez. Since his promotion, Perez is batting .298 with a .365 on-base percentage, three homers, two triples, a double, and two stolen bases in 16 games.
Meanwhile, Riley Greene looks like a budding superstar with his seven home runs and .383 OBP. Greene is hitting the ball hard and getting on base at the top of the lineup. He also plays an incredible left field.
Mark Canha has also been consistently excellent at the dish, with five homers, eight doubles, and a .393 OBP of his own.
Between Greene and Canha at the top of the lineup and Matt Vierling, Kerry Carpenter, and Perez in the middle, the Tigers at least have a pulse at the plate.
That is, until you get to the bottom half of the order.
Concerns about offense, bullpen
Spencer Torkelson, Colt Keith, Javier Baez, Parker Meadows, and both catchers have been horrible offensively, each with a sub-.600 OPS.
Torkelson’s struggles are particularly worrisome. He’s yet to hit a home run in 114 at-bats, and the batted ball metrics are worse than ever.
Meadows is also making consistently weak contact, but his elite defense in center field keeps him in the lineup regardless.
The Tigers are happy to be patient with Keith, who has maintained solid plate discipline throughout this slump. He’s clearly still trying to figure out MLB pitching, but he looks like he belongs.
The bullpen has also started to show some cracks. Will Vest, Tyler Holton, and Shelby Miller have each had some late-game implosions, and the lack of strikeouts are a major concern for Alex Faedo.
What was once the team’s strength is now on very shaky footing.
Tough stretch of schedule upcoming
Overall, the start of the season has been a resounding success, but the Tigers have a thin margin for error.
This weekend kicks off a tough stretch of the schedule. The Tigers head to New York for a three-game series against the 20-13 Yankees and then bounce over to Cleveland to face the AL-leading Guardians. Next weekend brings the Houston Astros to Comerica Park -- never an easy task.
The Tigers pulled briefly within one game of the AL Central lead last May before losing 11 of their next 12 games to permanently oust any thoughts of a playoff race.
Considering how the Guardians, Royals, and Twins are playing right now, the Tigers can’t afford to let off the gas.