Detroit Tigers: Pitching Woes Advance Losing Streak

The Detroit Tigers are in the midst of a seven-game losing streak while fans are undergoing another problematic season to watch.

Fans almost saw the end of the losing streak Tuesday when the Detroit Tigers were able to string two runs together in the bottom of the ninth but fell short in the 11th inning against the Marlins. That marked the 7th straight game the Tigers were unable to eclipse four runs. Including last Sunday’s game against Oakland, the match was postponed in the 7th inning 5-3, not in the Tigers’ favor.

Offensive struggles have been no stranger to the Tigers this season. There once was a time when Tiger fans could find solace in a talented starting pitching rotation with an at-most sub-par reliever core. However, that seemed to fly out the window come the month of May.

Over the course of May, Detroit’s pitching staff has a combined ERA of 6.50 in exactly 169.0 innings pitched. Not only is that “good” enough to be worst in the American League, but no other team can show an ERA worst that the Tigers this May in the MLB. Opponents facing the Tigers this month can also look forward to having a chance at a batting average of .297. This stat also being the worst in the AL and the entire MLB.

These lackluster statistics have been a significant contributing reason the Tigers are 5-13 this month. Tiger fans knew the bullpen was shaky (besides the performances of Shane Greene), but could count on starting pitchers to give the team a decent shot. Sadly, that has been called into question as well.

Out of the 13 losses awarded to the Tigers, 11 have been given to the pitching starting the match-up. This further cements the notion that once the Tigers are down, they are out of the game.

The Detroit Tigers’ record going into the month of May was 13-14. Even though fans knew it was a rebuilding year, it was exciting to see the boys being able to be competitive on any given night. This was thanks to some young guns looking to keep their place in the show and pitching talent that kept us in ballgames. It seems like the excitement of the new season has worn off and now Detroit has reverted back to scraping at the bottom of the barrel.