Look At The Numbers
Greg Bowman
After 16 games, Tiger pitchers are putting up some pretty impressive numbers. Unfortunately, the same thing can not be said for the hitters. And that's why the Tigers have a so-so record of seven and nine.
The pitchers have combined for ten quality starts, meaning they have gone at least six innings and allowed three earned runs or less. Justin Verlander has the most, with four, along with an ERA of under 3.50. But he has only one win to show for it. Phil Coke has been the nicest surprise, with two wins and an ERA of 2.25. Max Scherzer has two wins and two QS's. Rick Porcello and Brad Penny have looked better in their last outings after a shaky start. And Jose Valverde has been perfect so far in relief.
The hitting is a different story, though, and it's not a good one. Guess who leads the Tigers in hits, home runs, RBI's, Batting Average, and pretty much every other hitting category? If you guessed Miguel Cabrera, you're right. Other than Cabrera, you would be hard pressed to find much else to get excited about in the Tigers' offense. Alex Avilla is off to a good start, batting .280 with three home runs. And Brennan Boesch has been hitting pretty well.
But otherwise, the Tiger batters have been colder than the weather. Austin Jackson is off a terrible start, hitting .175, with 19 strike outs in 57 At-Bats. He looks lost at the plate, but he is still stellar in the outfield. Ryan Rayburn has also struck out 19 times, but he's hitting better than Jackson. Brandon Inge is only hitting about .200, but he's had a couple of timely hits that led to walk-off wins.
It's not too late for the Tigers to turn things around, of course. And they aren't the only team off to a slow start. The Red Sox were picked by everyone to win it all, but they have the worst record in baseball. And Superstar Carl Crawford with his big 130 million dollar contract is still trying to get untracked. The Minnesota Twins and Tampa Rays are also having a horrible April.
After splitting four games with the Oakland A's, the Tigers head up the coast to play the Seattle Mariners. And that should be a good time to put some wins together against the M's anemic offense.
