Do Detroit Tigers Have Most Unhittable Pitching Staff in Baseball?
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Everyone knew the Detroit Tigers' pitching staff was good coming into the season, but even the most optimistic fans and analysts probably weren't expecting it to be this good.
Thanks to their outstanding arms, the Tigers have emerged as one of the best teams in baseball this year. They're 15-10 after taking two of three from the San Diego Padres (who entered the series with MLB's top record) despite playing a brutal schedule thus far. With the exception of the Chicago White Sox, all of their opponents had a winning record last year.
Detroit isn't slowing down, either. The Tigers are 15-7 since their season-opening sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers and have won five of their last seven, vaulting into first place in the AL Central ahead of the Cleveland Guardians. They're poised to keep rolling, too, with the 9-14 Baltimore Orioles coming to town this weekend.
While the offense has been solid, where Detroit's really shone has been on the mound. After allowing just two runs over their last two games combined, the Tigers enter play on Thursday with the best ERA (2.94) in the American League and third-lowest in baseball behind the New York Mets (2.34) and Padres (2.92).
"Our staff is probably the nastiest in the league," Reese Olson said after firing 7.1 scoreless innings in Wednesday's 6-0 win over San Diego.
ERA for Tigers starters through 25 games
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Tarik Skubal: 2.83
Jack Flaherty: 2.63
Reese Olson: 3.29
Casey Mize: 2.22
Jackson Jobe: 2.70
Team ERA: 2.94, tops in AL.
Reese Olson after Wednesday's gem: "Our staff is probably the nastiest in the league."
It's hard to argue with him. Every member of Detroit's starting rotation has an ERA below 3.30, and Olson is the only one over three. The Tigers have five legitimate aces right now (including reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal), reminding some fans of the team's insane 2013 and 2014 rotations of Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Anibal Sanchez, Rick Porcello, Doug Fister and David Price.
Detroit has the second-best rotation ERA in baseball (3.09), behind only the Mets (2.33).
The Tigers are near the top in many pitching categories but don't lead in most of them, so it's hard to declare them the best staff in the league. They've arguably been the best in the AL (though the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers have a case), but not quite as dominant as New York or the Padres.
The biggest advantage for Detroit is that most of its pitchers are young and still have room to grow. Every member of the starting rotation is under 30 (Jack Flaherty is the oldest at 29), and Jackson Jobe is only a rookie at 22.
It's possible that the Tigers' young hurlers haven't even hit their stride yet. If they keep improving as they gain experience, the sky's the limit.
