Detroit Tigers: Best & Worst of April

The Detroit Tigers closed out April and opened May by splitting a two-game series with the Phillies in Philadelphia.

A 3-1 win on Tuesday night ended April for the Detroit Tigers in what was a roller coaster of a month, and a 7-3 loss on Wednesday served as a sour way to ring in the new month. With April now in the rearview mirror, let’s take a look at some of the best and worst moments of the month for the Tigers.

Best- Matt Boyd

The starting pitching for the Detroit Tigers as a whole was probably the brightest spot of April for the team, and Matt Boyd had probably the most impressive month of them all. Boyd went 2-1 in five starts through the month of April and made it through at least six innings in each of those starts. The lefty rang in the month with a stellar 13 strikeout performance against the Yankees on April 3rd, and it seemed as if he hasn’t looked back from there.

The most hits Boyd allowed in a single game in April was six and never surrendered more than three runs in any of his starts. It took him until April 16th to allow his first HR, and only had one base stolen while he was on the mound in the entire month.

Overall, Matt Boyd might have had the most impressive April of anyone on the Detroit Tigers roster. With Matt Moore now out for the season and Jordan Zimmermann dealing with an injury as well, Boyd will have to keep picking up the slack in May if the Tigers want to keep their starting pitching as strong as it has been.

Worst- The Injured List

Ah, the Injured List. Everyone’s best friend, right? Of course not, and though some teams like the New York Yankees had it much worse with players ending up on the Injured List in April, the injury bug was not so kind to the Tigers as well.

The first major blow came on April 6th when starting pitcher Matt Moore left the game after just three innings against Kansas City with an apparent knee injury. Moore was quickly moved to the 10-day IL but then underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus, and Tigers fans soon learned that Moore would miss the rest of 2019.

OF Christin Stewart was looking like a future star in the making but has been out of commission since April 17th with a quadriceps strain. The injury halted what was a very up-and-down April for Stewart, but the rookie has been designated for a rehab assignment in Lakeland.

To round out April, starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann was placed on the 10-Day IL with an apparent UCL sprain in his elbow. Zimmermann was having a tough go of it to end the month, allowing five runs in each of his last three starts before the injury. Overall, things could have been worse for the Tigers when it comes to injuries in April, but they were far from the best.

Best- Miguel Cabrera

Tigers fans who are complaining about Miguel Cabrera’s lack of power for much of 2019 so far do have a right to be upset, but Miggy’s solid rate of production should not be ignored. Cabrera finished the month of April batting .282 and eleven RBIs, placing him second on the team behind the injured Christin Stewart.

It did take him all the way until April 26th to hit his first one out of the park, but that game in Chicago showed the Cabrera is still capable of a lot at the plate. That night, Miggy played a major role in Detroit’s biggest offensive explosion of the season, going 4-6 at the plate with three RBIs. Do not be deterred by the former Triple Crown winner’s fading slugging power. Instead, be excited that the most veteran member of this Tigers squad is still finding a way to be one of the biggest contributors to an otherwise very stale offense.

Worst- Josh Harrison

It may seem a bit unfair to include Josh Harrison among the sore spots for the Tigers in April considering he did finish the month on the IL and was heating up before being taken out of commission. However, for much of April, Josh Harrison looked to be like the personification of how slow the Detroit Tigers offense could be.

The 31-year-old didn’t hit his first RBI until April 10th and for a long period failed to get much done in the leadoff spot for the Tigers. With just three RBIs while in the leadoff spot during most of April, manager Ron Gardenhire decided to make a change. In the latter half of the month, Harrison was slotted at the seventh spot in Detroit’s lineup and found some success there. Harrison hit .313 and knocked in four RBIs in just four games while batting in the seven spot.

Despite closing out the month strong before his injury, Harrison currently sits with a dismal .156 BA, the second lowest of any Tigers player that has appeared in at least 15 games this season. Harrison’s current shoulder injury isn’t expected to keep him sidelined for terribly long, and so hopefully once he makes his return he can keep up the pace he was setting toward the end of April.