DETROIT – If you’re just now hopping aboard the Detroit Tigers bandwagon as they return home for Opening Day, there are a few things you should know about the first week of the season.
Last team to lose
Before Thursday evening’s tough loss in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Tigers were the last undefeated team in Major League Baseball.
Detroit began the season with a perfect 5-0 record after sweeping the White Sox in Chicago and winning the first two games against the Mets in New York.
So close to 6-0
It looked like the Tigers were going to return home with a 6-0 record, but the Mets rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning of the second game Thursday to salvage one from the series.
Alex Faedo was trying to protect a 1-0 lead when slugger Pete Alonso took a changeup well below the strike zone and muscled it out to center field to tie the game.
Faedo got in more trouble after a walk to Brett Baty, and Tyrone Taylor brought him home with a walk-off single to left field.
Rainouts lead to doubleheader
Don’t be surprised if the Tigers look a bit sluggish Friday -- Opening Day is their third game in the span of 25 hours.
The second and third games of the series against the Mets were rained out on Tuesday and Wednesday, so the two teams played a straight doubleheader starting at noon Thursday.
It wasn’t an ideal build-up to the home opener, but the best solution was for the Tigers to get those games in while they were already in New York. Now they don’t have to worry about awkward makeup games down the line.
New faces
If you didn’t catch any of the first six games, you’ll notice there are several new faces on the Tigers’ roster.
They aren’t on the mound Friday, but Kenta Maeda and Jack Flaherty have joined the starting rotation after signing as free agents this offseason.
Maeda spent the past several seasons with the division-rival Minnesota Twins and returned from injury to have a solid 2023 campaign. His first start with the Tigers didn’t go as planned, though, as he allowed six earned runs in just 3.1 innings.
Flaherty was much more effective in his Tigers debut, firing six one-run innings while striking out seven. He’s hoping to get back to the 2019 form that saw him compete for a Cy Young award.
Andrew Chafin isn’t an unfamiliar face, but he’s back in Detroit after a year away. Former Dodgers reliever Shelby Miller is another new addition to the bullpen.
Mark Canha and Gio Urshela were the only external additions to the offense, but rookie Colt Keith is also debuting in the Old English D.
Canha is a veteran on-base machine who already has four walks and a .417 OBP.
Urshela is a contact specialist who leads the team with six hits.
Keith, 22, picked up a huge go-ahead double late in the first game of Thursday’s doubleheader. He’s one of the top prospects in all of baseball.
Ace of the staff
You might already know this from the second half of last season, but the Tigers have a bonafide ace at the top of the starting rotation.
Tarik Skubal will take the ball Friday at Comerica Park after shutting out the White Sox for six innings in the first game of the season.
Skubal is a rare pitcher who can miss bats at an elite level and also keep the ball on the ground. If he can stay healthy, this should be a special season.
Deep starting rotation
The Tigers are fairly well positioned behind Skubal, too.
Flaherty and Maeda are locked into the middle of the starting rotation, and it’s rounded out by Reese Olson and Casey Mize.
Mize struggled a bit in his opening outing, but it was his first time on an MLB mound in two calendar years. We’ll give him a pass.
If the Tigers need to go beyond that initial five, they have Matt Manning at Triple-A. Manning came up as the 27th man for Thursday’s doubleheader and allowed just four base runners (all walks) across 5.2 scoreless innings.
Sawyer Gipson-Long is another name Tigers fans should remember from the final weeks of last season, but he’s currently working his way back from a minor spring injury.
Bullpen dominance
The story of the season so far -- and the reason the Tigers are 5-1 -- is the bullpen.
Detroit appears to have one of the best bullpens in the league, and that’s not something fans around here are used to.
So far, Tigers relievers have allowed only three runs in 26.1 innings of work. Opponents have just 10 hits against the bullpen while striking out 30 times.
Alex Lange and Joey Wentz have had some struggles -- especially in terms of strike-throwing -- but the other six relievers are very reliable.
New closer
A.J. Hinch doesn’t like to name an official “closer,” but it’s obvious early in the season that Jason Foley has taken over that role.
Foley emerged as an excellent setup man last year, and now his 101 mph sinker is breaking hearts in the ninth inning.
While he doesn’t necessarily strike out as many batters as a typical high-end closer, Foley throws a lot of strikes and keeps the ball on the ground. Opposing teams will typically have to string together multiple hits to get to him.
Offensive concerns
The Tigers have a lineup full of exciting young players, but they aren’t necessarily productive hitters. At least not yet.
The offense has been very stagnant, scoring just 23 runs in the first six games -- three of which went to extra innings.
Detroit currently ranks 24th in MLB in on-base percentage and 25th in slugging percentage. The offense usually heats up with the weather, but runs are very difficult to come by right now.
Slow starts for stars
Some of the players who will be counted on at the heart of the lineup are off to very slow starts, most notably Spencer Torkelson.
After a brutal spring, Torkelson has started the 2024 season just 5-for-27 with no extra-base hits. His .399 OPS is third-worst on the team.
Riley Greene is also limping out of the gate, starting just 3-for-21. He does have five walks and a pair of home runs.
Parker Meadows plays an excellent center field, but he’s just 1-for-15 so far at the plate. The at-bats have been strong, but the results are lagging behind.
Never count them out
If the Tigers fall behind early in the game, I wouldn’t be too quick to turn the channel.
Even though the offense has been inconsistent, this team has shown an early tendency to fight back from deficits.
In the second game against the White Sox, the Tigers blew an early 3-0 lead and found themselves down 6-3 in the middle innings. But they chipped away at the lead and found a way to win in extra innings.
Then, in the first game of Thursday’s doubleheader, the Tigers battled back to win after falling behind 3-0.
