Tigers try to keep pace in AL Central as brutal week continues
The Detroit Tigers haven't finished with a winning record in seven years, haven't made the postseason in nine years and haven't won a playoff game in 10 years. Thanks largely to a struggling AL Central division, the 2023 Tigers are threatening to enter the still-early playoff picture as they approach the one-third mark of the season.
Detroit (25-28) enters Wednesday in second place in the division and trailing the first-place Minnesota Twins (28-27) by just two games. This is despite having the third-worst run differential in the junior circuit at -57.
The Tigers are about to face a test unlike any other they've seen this spring, as the club has lost their best pitcher (Eduardo Rodriguez) and best hitter (Riley Greene) to the injured list in back-to-back days.
In the midst of arguably the best season of his nine-year career, E-Rod has been showing signs of the 2019 hurler that finished sixth in the AL Cy Young voting with the Boston Red Sox. Rodriguez is tied for third in MLB in wins above replacement for pitchers (team-leading 2.5), third in WHIP (0.975) and is fourth in ERA (2.13) through 11 starts.
The 30-year-old southpaw has a team-leading four wins (to go with four losses), his ERA is more than a full run better than anyone else in the starting rotation and his 67 strikeouts and 67 2/3 innings pitched both lead Detroit by a wide margin.
Soon after contracting COVID-19 in July 2020, Rodriguez was diagnosed with myocarditis -- a heart condition -- that caused him to miss the entire pandemic-shortened campaign.
Rodriguez went 13-8 during his last season with the Red Sox in 2021, but posted career worsts in ERA (4.74) and WHIP (1.38). He signed a five-year deal with the Tigers in December 2021, but was limited to 17 starts last season due to injury and personal matters.
Greene entered last year as one if, if not the most highly touted prospect in the Tigers organization, three years after being selected as the No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 MLB June Amateur Draft. Greene largely struggled across his 93-game rookie campaign in 2022, posting a .253/.321/.362 slash line with five home runs, 42 RBI and 36 walks against a whopping 120 strikeouts.
Through 203 at-bats over 52 games in 2023, however, the outfielder leads the team in batting average (.296), slugging percentage (.443), total bases (90), runs scored (29), hits (60) and triples (three) among other categories, while registering five home runs, 18 RBI and six stolen bases.
One of Detroit's other big, young power hitters who'll need to step up in Greene's absence is 2020 No. 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson. The first baseman struggled mightily as a rookie last season (.203/.285/.319 slash line in 360 at-bats), but has improved slightly in 2023 with a .232/.315/.361 triple-slash over 194 at-bats.
More must-reads: