Detroit Tigers: 4 overreactions to the opening series against the Rays

Some overreactions to the Detroit Tigers soul-crushing opening series

The Detroit Tigers were swept to begin the 2023 season by the Tampa Bay Rays. It was, quite frankly, a horrible showing. They were outscored 21-3 and didn't look much different than last year's team. But then again, it's just three games. There's 159 games remaining. It's a long season. They can't be this bad all season..right?

In this article, we're going to go over a handful of overreactions from the first three games of the season. There have been a ton of hot takes stemming from this first series. Let's dive into them.

Overreaction #1: The offense is still terrible

I'll be honest, this doesn't seem like much of an overreaction right now. This team scored three runs in three games and nearly got no-hit on Sunday. They had a total of two hits in that game and hit one home run in those three games. They were out-hit 27-14. They are dead last in MLB through the first three games in team wRC+ at 15. That is not a typo.

This team chose not to add any major league hitters through free agency after having one of the worst offenses in franchise history, and we're already seeing the results of that. With all that being said, let's see the other side of the argument.

It's just three games against one of the best pitching staffs in baseball. The Rays have a loaded rotation and bullpen, and it showed this weekend. Jeffrey Springs was filthy on Sunday, striking out 12 in six innings of work. Shane McClanahan pitched on Opening Day and looked like a Cy Young winner.

The Tigers won't play this team again until the first week of August. They won't face a pitching staff quite like this again.

They're also trying to get used to the new gameplan and approach that the new hitting coaches are trying to deploy. That will take some time.

I really can't blame fans for being frustrated with the offense (or lack thereof). It looks like nothing has changed. It's been seven years since this team has had a record over .500 and it looks like they're well on their way to yet another subpar season. But let's pump the brakes just a bit. I'm saying this for myself just as much as I'm saying this for the fans.

Mid-May. That's the deadline I'm setting for hitting the panic button. If they still look this brutal by then, then we all have the right to grab our pitchforks and protest outside Comerica Park. But for now, let's take it easy.