A.J. Hinch's Message to Tigers Fans Rings Hollow After Brutal Stretch

The Detroit Tigers have looked lifeless over the last 12 games. They've gone 2-10 during that stretch and are drifting further down the American League standings.

Wednesday's 3-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays accurately represents the Tigers' offense lately. They managed two hits and have scored one run or fewer for the fourth time in eight days. It's been a completely disappointing season for Detroit.

The Tigers are now nine games below .500 and five games back of a wild-card spot.

A.J. Hinch's Message to the Fans

Detroit Tigers manager AJ Hinch. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Despite the recent struggles, manager A.J. Hinch is holding out hope for his team. He had a message for the fans in an interview with 97.1 The Ticket.

"We're not really built to concede anything yet, we need to go on an incredibely good run to make this interesting," Hinch said. "We just want our fans to hang in there with us. We are grinding and working to be better...I don't want our fans to check out..."

Unfortunately, that message will not resonate with fans at the moment, and rightfully so. This team was expected to be at the top of the A.L. Central after taking the Seattle Mariners to five games in the ALDS last season.

Instead, a woeful May gave Detroit a nearly impossible hill to climb. They made up ground in July and early August, but this recent stretch has made a playoff run highly unlikely. After an unacceptable series loss to the Kansas City Royals, Hinch talked about the team's performance.

"We've got to pick ourselves up. I mean, this was a miserable road trip, Hinch said, per Jackson Stone of mlb.com. "Results are pretty obvious. We haven't executed perfectly. We don't have to be perfect to win games, but at the end of the day, you either take a step forward or you take a step backwards--and we took a couple of steps backwards this trip and we're wearing it."

They could've stolen a series against a good Rays team, but the loss perfectly encapsulates the season. Opportunities have been there, but the Tigers haven't taken advantage. At some point, talk can only take a team so far. They have to show results on the field.

Sure, the front office did the team no favors by trading Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize. But maybe their evaluation of this team reflects what fans have felt all season: a team with potential that refuses to meet the moment.

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