Detroit Tigers: Offense May Be Turning Things Around

Detroit Tigers fans witnessed an offensive outburst in Sunday’s series finale against the Boston Red Sox. The Tigers scored 10 runs en route to five-run victory. It could be the start of an offensive turnaround.

Detroit Tigers players have struggled to produce runs as of late. Despite the addition of Erick Aybar, who has a pair of multi-hit contests since joining the Tigers, the team has struggled.

Things changed on Sunday afternoon. Justin Upton and company put up 10 runs on the visiting Boston Red Sox to salvage a series split. Upton led the way with a pair of hits and six RBI—both of his hits left the building.

Just a day after nearly tying the game in the bottom of the ninth with a double that was inches away from being a home run, Upton shined.

The outfielder turned in perhaps his best display so far as a Tiger against the Red Sox. Hopefully it is the start of a hot streak.

Upton, who defines the term “streaky hitter,” could be turning things around.

Last season with the Padres, the outfielder hit .249 from April to the end of May, posting a .756 OPS. However, during June and July, Upton posted a .312 batting average and a .935 on-base percentage.

This could be the start of a similar stretch for the former Padre, who despite his struggles this year has continued to hit the ball hard. His displays over the weekend are an extremely encouraging sign for the future.

It is an extremely small sample size, but if Upton can continue to heat up, the Tigers offense will be in much better shape. With Nick Castellanos still on the disabled list, the team has been missing one of their middle-of-the-order bats. Should Upton prolong his assault on opposing pitchers, Detroit will have a chance to make some serious noise in the playoff race and beyond.

Lineup Shuffle

Maybin’s return from the disabled list not only helps the top of Detroit’s batting order, but it also lengthens the lineup as a whole.

With the outfielder back in the fold, Erick Aybar moves down the order to the ninth spot in the lineup. There, he’ll act as a quasi-leadoff hitter of sorts, getting on base ahead of Kinsler and Maybin later in games.

Jose Iglesias played a similar role before he went on the disabled list, and despite the offensive shortcomings of Aybar and Iglesias, the duo provides needed offense at the position.

The former Angel checks in with a 56 wRC+ on the season, while Iglesias’s wRC+ sits at 67. Those aren’t exactly the numbers of world beaters, but they represent a significant upgrade over the likes of Mike Aviles (40 wRC+) and Dixon Machado (-14 wRC+).

With Maybin’s return, the team can now shift Tyler Collins to the bench, where his bat will help out a bench unit that has been far from perfect this season. Iglesias’ eventual return could also push Aybar into a similar role.

In a perfect world, the Tigers will be able to rely on some combination of Collins, Aybar, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Casey McGehee and Andrew Romine. That kind of depth and versatility off the bench will help win the team games down the stretch.

Upcoming Opportunity

Detroit’s victory in the final game against Boston was much needed. The team will look to continue their momentum—especially from an offensive standpoint—in the coming weeks.

The Tigers will do battle with the Twins, Angels and White Sox to close out the month of August. Minnesota sports the league’s second worst ERA at 4.96, while Anaheim is the owner of baseball’s second worst FIP at 4.74.

Chicago’s pitching numbers aren’t quite as poor thanks to the presence of Chris Sale and Jose Quintana. However, Detroit won’t be facing Quintana in the upcoming series. The team is slated to match up with Carlos Rodon, James Shields and Sale.

Detroit has gotten to Rodon for 15 hits, eight runs and four walks in only 11 innings of work against the left-hander since he entered the big leagues. What’s more, Shields has been lit up as of late. Over his last four starts, the former Ray’s ERA is an unsightly 17.36. Opponents are hitting .452 off him and have scored 28 runs in just 14 innings.

Next: Iglesias or Aybar?

There aren’t any ugly stats on Sale. However, Detroit did tag him for 15 hits and seven runs combined in his last two starts against the Tigers.