Tigers' sweep of Orioles ties franchise mark and even has fans believing in Javy Baez

The Detroit Tigers swept the Baltimore Orioles this weekend at Comerica Park and extended their win streak to four games. They have the best record in the American League at 18-10. Tarik Skubal struck out 11 batters over six innings in Sunday's 7-0 victory (to follow up the doubleheader sweep on Saturday).

But that's hardly where it gets inspiring. After Sunday's triumph, the Tigers tied their best stretch at home to begin a season (13-3). The last Tigers squad to do that? The boys back in 1911 when ... Ty Cobb won the MVP and registered a career-high 10.7 WAR. The good old days.

That doesn't necessarily indicate this Tigers team will go on to do great things, but it certainly has fans feeling confident with the way Detroit followed up its special 2024 campaign, which featured a surge from mid-August through the end of the year to clinch a playoff berth.

Not only that, but the Tigers are getting some incredible performances through the first month from some unlikely names. We've talked a lot about Spencer Torkelson and Zach McKinstry on the position player side as well as Jackson Jobe, Casey Mize, Reese Olson and Tommy Kahnle among the pitching.

But folks ... Javier Baez is alive. He's hitting .281 on the season and has an OPS above .800 over his last seven games. He's been filling in around the diamond as the Tigers have dealt with injuries.

Is the tide beginning to turn among the fans, who have directed their ire at Baez over the past three seasons? If that's the case, you know the vibes are close to unbeatable.

Tigers sweep Orioles and tie franchise 13-3 record at home to begin a season

The Tigers notched 23 hits and 19 walks this weekend and hit .333 with runners in scoring position. Baez recorded five of those hits and drove in three of the 17 runs. He played all of his games in center field and looked impressive as he continues to learn a position he's never handled professionally.

It'll take a lot more from Baez to repair his reputation in Detroit, but right now he's doing just about everything possible to win back the fanbase. Additionally, his success is helping distract from the struggles of Riley Greene, Jace Jung, Trey Sweeney and Colt Keith. Those four combined have logged 0.2 WAR and the Tigers are still the best team in the AL.

A lot of that can be credited to the timely hitting, tight defense, and incredible pitching staff, but it's perhaps even more important to see guys like Baez, Torkelson and Mize completely alter the general perception they've been subjected to for the last few years.

The train keeps rolling Monday night with a series against the Astros in Houston. The momentum continues for the Tigers against their 2024 AL Wild Card victims.