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3 overreactions to the Tigers opening series sweep of the White Sox

By Matthew Scheidel |
Detroit Tigers v Chicago White Sox
Detroit Tigers v Chicago White Sox / Nuccio DiNuzzo/GettyImages
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For the first time since 2016, the Detroit Tigers are 3-0 after a 3-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, clinching the series sweep to open the season. It wasn't easy, as they were all one-run victories, but wins are wins.

It's hard to come to any conclusions after three games in a 162-game season, but darn it, we're going to try. They are some takeaways here, both positive and negative.

The offense was very hit-or-miss, which is technically an upgrade over the past couple of years. The starting pitching was pretty solid other than Kenta Maeda's stinker on Saturday. The bullpen was outstanding. They gave up just one run the entire series.

The Tigers are 3-0 to begin the 2024 campaign. The sweep came at the hands of a bad White Sox team, but who cares. Be happy. Even if it ends up being an overreaction, like the three we're about to go over. It's been eight years since the Tigers got off to this good of a start.

We're not one for hyperboles, but we've got three in the tank here. Here are three overreactions to the Tigers opening series sweep of the White Sox.

Kenta Maeda was a bad signing

This was by far the biggest overreaction I saw on X, formerly known as Twitter, over the weekend. As Maeda was getting shelled, fans were screaming for him to get DFA'd and for Matt Manning to come up from Toledo. After one bad start.

Look, Maeda was pretty bad on Saturday. He just didn't have it. He kept grooving his pitches and his fastball was hovering around 88 mph. That's not very good. But he also has a history of getting off to a poor start.

Maeda has career ERA of 5.02 in March and April, including Saturday's start. There's only one other month in his career with an ERA over 4, and that's August. This is just who he is.

He doesn't throw very much, if he does at all, in the offseason. He uses spring training as his ramp-up period. That explains the low velo early on in the spring.

It was also cold and windy in Chicago this weekend. It probably won't be much better when he makes in next start in Detroit, but that likely played a factor.

Maeda will be fine. There's no reason to DFA a guy that's signed through not only this season, but next season as well because of one bad start. The velo will probably ramp back up as we get deeper into the season. Calm down, everyone.

The offense is the same as last year

Yes, the Tigers scored seven of their 11 runs in this series in game two on Saturday. Yes, they only scored one run on Opening Day and three runs on Sunday. But they won both games, and there's reason to believe this offense won't be quite as bad as they've been in recent years.

For starters, they hit four home runs in this series. They were all solo shots, but they hit four balls over the fence nonetheless. Riley Greene, Mark Canha, Kerry Carpenter, and Jake Rogers all went deep for Detroit. Power has been an issue for this team, so that's a good sign early on in the season.

They were also better with runners in scoring position in this series. That was arguably their biggest issue offensively last season. They just could not get that big hit with runners on base. But they were 6-for-19 (.316) with RISP in this series, including 5-for-12 on Saturday. That's a massive improvement.

They were 0-for-3 on Thursday, and only 1-for-4 on Sunday, but Sunday's hit with RISP — a pinch-hit RBI single from Andy Ibanez — proved to be the difference in the game. I wouldn't expect them to even come close to hitting over .300 with RISP this season, but this series was an important step in becoming more clutch at the plate as a team.

Over the course of this season, especially as it gets warmer in the summer, I think this offense will start to become more consistent. I know that sounds strange coming from me, but there was a lot to like from the lineup this weekend. There were very few non-competitive at-bats. Mark Canha, acquired from the Brewers in a trade very early in the offseason, was crushing the ball all weekend. There's reason to believe the offense can at least be middle of the road. And with this pitching? That may be all it needs to be to reach the postseason.

The Tigers are going to win the AL Central

The Tigers are the last remaining unbeaten team in the American League Central. Cleveland lost to Oakland in walk-off fashion on Sunday, and the Royals blew out the Twins.

This has caused some fans to believe that the division is the Tigers to lose. But there's still six months and 159 games left in the season. There's still so much that can happen.

The Twins have already lost star Royce Lewis to a somewhat significant injury, an huge blow already for them. Lewis, a former No. 1 overall pick, is immensely talented, but just cannot stay healthy. He's kind of like Byron Buxton in that regard. Still, the Twins have a better overall roster than the Tigers, especially offensively.

Cleveland scored 29 runs in a series win over the A's, but it's the A's. Anyone can score off that team. That's still a team that's likely to struggle to score runs this season. The Royals are a young, upstart bunch, but one injury to one Witt Jr., Ragans, Pasquantino, or Garcia, and their season goes south pretty quick because they don't have the depth.

The Tigers are also a young, upstart team. But they need to show some consistency. Sweeping the White Sox to start the year is great, but they should sweep the White Sox. That team could lose 100 games this season. They should beat the teams they're supposed to beat.

Again, be happy that they're 3-0. I sure am. But cool off on the division title talk. I'll be glad to be wrong, but our dreams have been crushed by this franchise plenty of times in the past. I'm just trying to prevent it from happening again.

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