Weekend Recap: Tigers Offensive Nightmares Continued in Series Loss to Guardians
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Sunday's series finale against the Cleveland Guardians was rained out and will be made up in September, which might be a good thing for the Detroit Tigers. Over the first two games of the series, the Tigers combined for 11 hits, three runs, and two losses, and would have been attempting to avoid a series sweep on Sunday at Progressive Field.
After the brutal offensive weekend, Detroit has fallen to 12th in runs and 14th in batting average in the American League this season. There have been a couple of lone bright spots, but the troubling offense has been a key contributor to the disappointing season so far.
On Saturday, the Tigers recorded nine hits, including two extra-base hits, but just one run in Tarik Skubal's return to the mound. Skubal was limited to just 80 pitches in his return and pitched as well as he could, given he had been out of action since April. He allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits, walked one, and struck out four.
Dillon Dingler and Gleyber Torres each recorded two hits, and Dingler recorded the team's only RBI, a run scoring single in the first.
Tarik Skubal's Return Marred by Offensive Woes
On Friday, the Tigers managed two runs, but only two hits. James Outman and Spencer Torkelson hit solo shots to give Detroit's pitching staff some run support, but it wasn't enough in the 3-2 loss. Two of the three base runners in the entire game were walks in the first inning, which were stranded at first and second.
The final base runner Detroit would get, which wasn't a homer, was Zach McKinstry on an error from first baseman Rhys Hoskins. He was subsequently picked off by Tanner Bibbee. Four Tigers relievers combined to allow just one run over five innings, but their strong effort was too much for the offense to overcome.
Detroit has an opportunity to get the offense right to some extent with a road trip to Houston. The Astros own the second-worst ERA in baseball, but will be receiving some extra ammunition from the injured list. Houston's ace Hunter Brown will be returning on Tuesday after he spent the last two months on the injured list.
He is an All-Star pitcher at worst, but the remainder of the Astros staff leaves much to be desired. Their 5.05 starter ERA and 4.74 reliever ERA are a far cry from the team's potential, but injuries have decimated nearly the entire staff.
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Jeffrey is a sports writer located in Louisville, Kentucky, with a passion for sports, writing, and storytelling. He has hundreds of published articles across various platforms, including Kentucky Today, The Baptist Courier, FanSided, and more. Jeffrey is a senior at Indiana University Southeast pursuing a B.S. in Journalism/Media with a Minor in Writing. He has a beautiful wife, dog, and firstborn child on the way.