The Tigers’ Biggest Offensive Problem Goes Beyond Their Lack of Home Runs
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The Detroit Tigers haven’t necessarily depended on producing with runners in scoring position to manufacture runs during their recent victories. In two of their last three, Riley Greene’s swing alone provided enough impact, with a historic performance of nine hits, three home runs and eight RBIs to make the difference on the scoreboard.
Two of the Tigers’ last three victories have come against the Minnesota Twins. One was last Wednesday in a 12-inning marathon at Target Field. Spencer Torkelson hit a two-run home run to snap his streak of 109 plate appearances without taking the ball out of the park, and then a Javier Báez double completed the five-run rally in the top of the 12th inning to win 11-6.
The next victory came last Monday, a 5-4 win with a key home run from Greene. Detroit went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position in that game, but was able to finish with the victory. However, that has been just one of the few games with those characteristics throughout the season. Most of the time, the Tigers collapse without being able to produce in RISP situations; it has been almost impossible for them to win.
The most recent example was Tuesday night, when they lost 3-2 to Minnesota. The only run-producing hit was a two-run home run by Kevin McGonigle to left field — toward his opposite field — against right-hander Dean Kremer in the bottom of the fifth inning.
It was McGonigle’s 16th home run of the season, with Zach McKinstry on first base. The Tigers went 0-for-5 again with runners in scoring position, so through two games of this three-game series at home, they are 0-for-10 in RISP situations. They have left 16 runners on base over their last three games and are 2-for-14 in RISP situations during that span.
That’s only part of the problem. In 37 games this season in which Detroit has failed to record a hit in RISP situations, it has a 6-31 record. Yes, it has lost 31 of those 37 games. When the Tigers have recorded one hit in RISP situations, the result changes dramatically to a 13-16 record, just three games below .500. What happens when they record at least two hits? The difference is overwhelming: They improve to 47-29, a 61.8% winning percentage.
The decline in power has made the problem worse
There is no doubt that on another night the story of some games would have been different, but we can’t blame Dillon Dingler alone for Detroit’s home run drought. It is true that Dingler is going through the worst stretch of his career, with 111 plate appearances without a home run over the last 27 games. During that stretch, the Tigers are 9-18. And the worst part is that Dingler has seen his power decline in a very different way from the slump Torkelson went through, with 109 plate appearances without hitting a home run until last Wednesday in Minnesota.
While Torkelson came through the drought with the best OPS of his career in stretches of at least 100 PA without a home run, Dingler is batting .117/.171/.146, with five RBIs while his 28 strikeouts are twice his 12 hits.
I know it is difficult for the offense to move forward without Dingler’s consistent power, which had been a force throughout the season, Torkelson’s decline and Greene’s injury. But six other hitters are in the starting lineup every day, and the problems in RISP situations have been an epidemic this month.
After leading the league with 49 home runs in June, the most at that point in any month of the first half of the season, Detroit has become the worst team in HR/FB (1.7%), even with more home runs (23) than the Cleveland Guardians (22) and Los Angeles Angels (17). Such a sharp offensive decline could have hurt less if the Tigers were taking greater advantage of RISP situations, but the opposite has happened.
Opportunities haven't been lacking, and with every loss, the possibility of sneaking into the playoff contenders is moving farther away. Torkelson crushed his streak with one swing. Greene returned from the injured list and quickly activated his swing after starting 1-for-13 with five strikeouts. Dingler can break his streak of 111 plate appearances without a home run with his next swing, but that won’t solve Detroit’s entire offensive problem.
The Tigers need to play as a team and take advantage of key moments, even if that no longer means hitting home runs at the same frequency.
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Yirsandy is a baseball writer specializing in MLB coverage with experience across multiple teams and storylines. He currently writes for Diamond Centric, where he covers the New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, and Kansas City Royals. My work focuses on game coverage, player analysis, and storytelling that connects performance with context. My Substack has also been an important part of my writing development, where I’ve built much of my baseball coverage and storytelling voice over time. I’m passionate about combining reporting, research, and thoughtful analysis to produce engaging baseball content for readers.
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