Led By Jackson, Tiger Offense Struggling

Thanks in no small part to a slumbering lineup, the Detroit Tigers have lost four games in a row. They’re averaging one run per nine innings over their last five games, scoring a total of six runs in a time span that includes a 14-inning game and a 13-inning game.

The Detroit Tigers are 37-for-194 (.191) with the bats in their last five games, scoring six runs in 54 innings. (Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports)

Among the worst offenders with the bat is Austin Jackson, who was hitting .393 for the season after the game Tuesday of last week. Since then, though, he’s hitting .040/.111/.080 in 27 plate appearances. He has racked up ten strikeouts in the Tigers’ last five games. His season batting average has plummeted to .291.

At the opposite end of the lineup, Omar Infante has also struggled lately, hitting .111/.111/.111 in his last 18 plate appearances. Like Jackson, Infante also started the year well, coming into play April 17 with a .310 average. His only hits since then were two in the 13-inning loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Victor Martinez has continued to struggle, hitting .143/.250/.143 over 24 plate appearances in five games. He’s now hitting .182 for the year.

By going .178/.283/.200 in his last 14 plate appearances, Andy Dirks is now hitting .178 for the year. That would seem to open doors for Matt Tuiasosopo, but he has done himself no favors in the last five games, hitting .143/.333/.143 in nine plate appearances.

As a team, the Tigers have hit .191/.263/.242 over the past five games.