3 Early Red Flags About the Detroit Tigers’ 2022 Season

Bad Detroit Tigers Defense

Miguel Cabrera’s latest quote shows signs of frustration, and just like fans, he’s hoping for the Tigers to turn a game around into a much-needed win.

Although Cabrera was intentionally walked in Thursday’s game against the Yankees, being just one hit shy of 3,000 with bases loaded, the Tigers finally collected a win after losing three in a row.

But it didn’t come without some defensive difficulty.

The Tigers dropped multiple popups in Tuesday’s game against the Yankees. Early in Tuesday’s game, a pop up from Josh Donaldson seemed to confuse both Tyler Alexander and Tucker Barnhart. The ball ended up bouncing off Alexander’s glove, and then again off Barnhart’s glove, finally dropping to score two runs for the Yankees. In this situation, someone has to take command, communicate and ensure the easy out.

It didn’t improve in Wednesday’s matchup either. The game was tied 3-3 when Drew Hutchison entered the game in the seventh inning after Eduardo Rodriguez had pitched a pretty solid six innings. A bunt from Gleyber Torres and a bad throw from Hutchison ended up giving the Yankees the go-ahead to take the lead.

If there’s one area that desperately needs improving, it’s making those routine, defensive plays. Poor defense cost them two games.

For what it’s worth, it’s still early and there’s plenty of baseball left to be played but the Tigers need to find a way to bounce back, get ahead of pitchers, and make plays that win them games.