Well OK, the Tigers started out the season 27-12. The pitchers were pitching, the hitters were hitting, and they were even stealing a lot of bases, something unheard of as recently as last year. Indeed, they had the best record in all of Major League Baseball. The wise guys in Vegas who had tabbed them the pre-season "favorites" to win the World Series were no doubt feeling pretty good about all the numbers they had crunched to come up with the odds.
Since then, the Tigers have gone a woeful 9-19, worthy of a last place team in any division. They've not only surrendered the best record in baseball by several games, but also the lead in the supposedly weak AL Central Division. Though the hitting has been hit and miss, no pun intended, they've made some uncharacteristic fielding errors, bone-headed plays while running the basepaths, and seem to have developed a nasty penchant for hitting into double plays at key times to kill a possible rally.
Sure, streaks happen all the time in Major League Baseball -- win or lose. It was unrealistic to think the Tigers could continue their 29-12 pace (.700) for the duration of the season. Even the greatest teams don't go .700 for the whole year. Conversely, certainly the Tigers are better than the .321 record they've posted over the last 28 games.
Conventional wisdom held the Tigers' starting pitching was their strength, while the bullpen was shaky. But of late, something unforeseen has happened. Justin Verlander, he of the Fastball Flakes and not long ago considered to be amongst the most dominating starting pitchers in the game -- has suddenly turned average -- at best. JV is now 6-7, and has been banged around in his last several starts. His ERA has climbed to a not so pretty five. Reigning Cy Young winner Max Scherzer just got pin-balled for 10 runs in five innings of work. In Scherzer's case, it brings to mind a song Crystal Gayle once made famous. Something about turning brown eyes blue. Sorry. Ahem.
It's telling when the Tigers can rally for 6 runs in the ninth inning -- and still lose by three. That means the other team was rocking and rolling their pitching staff for the first 8 innings. Definitely not a good sign for a staff that was supposed to be the best in baseball.
When a guy like Phil Coke is your go-to guy out of the bullpen, then you have a problem. At that, Coke possibly commits a balk on every pitch. Once he's come to the "set" position, his ensuing shoulder shrug could certainly be construed as a balk, though it seems to have been accepted as his norm. Aging closer Joe Nathan, whom the Tigers procured from the Minnesota Twins, always has the Motown faithful holding their breath. Maybe he'll save a tight game, and maybe he'll get lit up. Hardly Mr. Reliable.
So what will happen with the Tigers? After all, they have 101 games to go. They're not as good as their first 39, and not as bad as their last 28. Will they still win their division and/or qualify for the playoffs? Maybe, even probably.
Thing is, they need to snap out of their current funk pretty quick. When they were riding high a month ago, a degree of swagger came with it. They knew they were good. Confidence makes more winning easier. If this slump lasts another couple weeks or so, and they find themselves 5-6 games behind in their own "weak" division, serious doubts might start to creep into their clubhouse, even amongst a veteran team like the Tigers. Even rookie manager Brad Ausmus recently got a bit testy while saying he basically had no idea on how to right the good ship Tiger. There's really not much he can do. Keep putting the best players and pitchers out there he has, and hope for the best. Sometimes ya win -- sometimes ya lose.
It will be interesting to see where the Tigers are after the next few weeks or so. Maybe back on top, pitchers pitching, hitters hitting, runners stealing, and defense solid. But if they go another 9-19 in the next month -- they just might be in serious trouble.
A recent funk they will come out of, or overrated from the get-go?
We'll see.....
Even the wise guys botch a call once in a while.....
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