Tigers set to see a familiar face struggling with Marlins already has fans fearing the worst

In years past, one would think that facing the unerringly bad Marlins would be just what the doctor ordered for a Tigers team that's slipped all the way down to the bottom of their division despite being the early favorites to win it.

But the unerringly bad Marlins are actually looking kind of ... good this year? Through their first 13 games, they're tied with the Braves for first place in the NL East. The Tigers are coming off of being swept by the division rival Twins — thought to be equally as bad as, if not worse than, Miami coming into the season — and are sitting in last place in the AL Central.

All of this is to say that we can't call any series an "easy" one with any real confidence right now. The Tigers' offense has been getting unlucky, sure, but there's also a lot wrong with this team as a whole.

So even with Detroit set to face former Tiger Chris Paddack, easily the worst pitcher on the Marlins' roster right now, fans are feeling particularly doomerish. They couldn't beat Bailey Ober, Taj Bradley, and Mick Abel (we'll give them a pass on their Joe Ryan game). Who's to say they can beat Paddack?

Tigers set to reunite with former demoted starter Chris Paddack in Marlins opener

Paddack came over from none other than the Twins right before the trade deadline last year, when the Tigers lost Reese Olson to a shoulder strain that has since spiraled into a surgery that will keep him out in 2026.

He made a couple of decent starts and took to being a Tiger very quickly, but he was demoted to bullpen by September, wasn't carried on either of Detroit's postseason rosters, and was allowed to walk with little fanfare when the season ended before signing a one-year, $4 million contract with the Marlins in free agency.

In two appearances this season — Miami seems to be using him in a hybrid role — Paddack has pitched 8 2/3 innings for an 8.31 ERA. He was blown up in his first start, giving up eight runs in four innings, but was able to hold the fort in a long relief appearance against the Yankees, giving up zero earned runs.

You'd think that the Tigers' offense would be able to wail on a guy like Paddack to get some mojo back, but nothing is for certain with this team right now.