Detroit Tigers: Offensive Woes, Comerica concrete, Fulmer Admirers

It is easy to point to the Detroit Tigers pitching woes in the starting rotation and bullpen to explain the subpar 2015 season, but it is definitely more head-scratching to see the offense scoring so few runs.

Detroit leads all of baseball in batting average and on-base percentage, yet are eighth in runs scored. Over the weekend in a pivotal series with the Texas Rangers, the Tigers didn’t have much starting pitching to throw at Texas, but Detroit lost three of those four games, 2-0, 5-3 and 4-2.

Before the weekend, fans would have jumped at the opportunity for the Tigers to allow only nine runs in three games with Justin Verlander, Randy Wolf and Matt Boyd on the mound. But the offense didn’t allow Detroit to win with any of those starters.

The offense, however, is the only problem with the Tigers at the moment. A chunk of concrete fell at Comerica Park on Sunday, which should never happen for a stadium not even 20 years old. The organization released a statement on Tuesday regarding the incident.

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The good news for Tigers fans is that right-handed pitching prospect Michael Fulmer is gaining admirers in the minor leagues. Fulmer, who was acquired from the New York Mets in the Yoenis Cespedes deal, is 3-1 with a 1.59 ERA at Double-A Erie. At Double-A Binghamton, 6-2 with a 1.88 ERA.

Fulmer is expected to be a September call-up and will probably start due to all the injuries in the Tigers starting rotation.

Offensive woes bring short tempers among Tigers – Bob Wojnowski, The Detroit News

"The Tigers have done a decent job not pointing fingers, because truly, how do you explain the pitching situation? Anibal Sanchez joined Norris on the disabled list. Shane Greene was ineffective, then injured. Justin Verlander missed two-and-a-half months and now looks good again.The Tigers are wasting away, filling up the disabled list faster than they fill up a scorecard. Do the hitters press because of the pitching problems? Sure. Do they try to push it on the base paths to generate offense? Sure. The Tigers lead the league in hitting into double plays, and are near the top in runners picked off and runners thrown out at the plate.That’ll take the shine off glossy statistics."

Tigers make necessary repairs after chunk of concrete falls at Comerica Park – James Schmedhl’s Twitter, MLive.com

Tigers prospect Fulmer gaining admirers – Steve Schrader, Detroit Free Press

"This is new. ESPN.com’s Tommy Rancel has ranked the top minor league prospects for major league fantasy baseball, and there’s actually a Detroit Tigers farmhand in the top spot.It’s right-hander Michael Fulmer, acquired from the New York Mets in the Yoenis Cespedes swap, a trade-deadline deal that was overshadowed by the one that sent David Price to the Toronto Blue Jays for left-hander Daniel Norris and others."

Next: Pitching Tigers biggest 2015 downfall