The Detroit Tigers hit a new low in Wednesday’s 13-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox. An embarrassing performance, highlighted by three position players pitching, led to a 30-minute players-only meeting in the clubhouse.
“Just a broad range of issues that we feel like we’re facing as a team,” catcher Eric Haase said. “Kinda getting it in the open. We just need to play better is the basic consensus, but yeah, nothing else. Nothing else really.”
With 100 games remaining, the Tigers have the worst scoring offense in baseball, averaging 2.71 runs per game, and the rock-solid pitching department, amid several injuries, is beginning to crumble. With a 24-38 record, the Tigers are the third-worst team in the American League.
There are no signs of improvements coming soon.
“No one likes going out there and getting their ass handed to them every night,” Haase said. “We feel like we’re a better team than that. For whatever reason, we’re just not clicking.”
WEDNESDAY’S LOSS: Tigers pitch three position players, swept by Chicago White Sox in 13-0 loss
Fans are expressing their distaste with taunts and boos.
“I understand the fan frustration,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “I don’t deny it, obviously. We feel it, too.”
The offense is the problem, as the the pitching has stumbled only lately. The rotation got even worse news Friday, as the Tigers announced Casey Mize, the 2018 No. 1 overall pick, needed Tommy John surgery. He recently underwent surgery, performed by Dr. Keith Meister. The Tigers have four key starting pitchers on the injured list, and on Monday, the organization placed left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez on the restricted list for personal reasons. It’s unclear when, or if, he will rejoin the team. For now, Drew Hutchison is filling his spot in the rotation.
[ Everything you need to know about Casey Mize and Tommy John ]
Despite the many setbacks, the bullpen ranked among the best in baseball for weeks. Likewise, inexperienced starters held their own in the rotation and thrived under pitching coach Chris Fetter. Wednesday, however, brought questions for Hinch regarding Fetter’s interest in Michigan baseball’s newly vacant head coaching position.
Generally, things aren’t going great around Comerica Park.
“If people want to let us know how they feel, I can’t control that,” shortstop Javier Báez said. “We’re losing a lot of games, and it’s frustrating for them. The weather today was really hot, and for fans to come see this, it’s obviously frustrating. We understand. Trust me, we’re frustrated in the dugout, and we still have to be there for the whole game. It’s about getting focused and doing the right thing.”
The Tigers signed Báez to carry the offense for years to come, agreeing to a six-year, $140 million contract. He is hitting .188 with three home runs, nine walks and 53 strikeouts in 50 games. Báez didn’t play Wednesday. He sat out to work on his swing and spent several innings in the batting cage.
Of the 157 qualified batters, Báez’s wRC+ (47) ranks last. He is the worst offensive player in baseball. But it’s not just Báez. The Tigers don’t have a single qualified player above 100, considered league-average: Báez, Miguel Cabrera (99), Spencer Torkelson (70), Jeimer Candelario (58) and Jonathan Schoop (51). Candelario and Schoop lead the team with five home runs. Robbie Grossman and Austin Meadows, who had 23 and 27 homers last year, respectively, are still searching for their first of 2022.
“We’re not doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result,” Hinch said. “You guys don’t see it because you’re not in the trenches with us, but we’re not doing the same thing, albeit (we are) out on the field. The messaging, the meetings, the conversations, the approach, everything we’re trying to do, we’re not executing. That’s where the demand for something different comes up.”
Top prospect Riley Greene, who hit .429 in 11 spring training games, is waiting for his MLB debut while playing in Triple-A Toledo. Spencer Torkelson, though he’s the Tigers’ second-best qualified hitter, is struggling mightily. The 2020 No. 1 overall pick is hitting .181 in 55 games.
For some reason, everyone is slumping, save for Harold Castro, Willi Castro and Victor Reyes.
“It’s tough to keep trying and trying and not getting the results,” said Báez, who has a .519 OPS and a 46.7% chase rate, the worst of his career. “I’m a little sore from my heel, but that doesn’t bother me playing like that. A.J. reached out to me last night after the game, and he asked me if I wanted the day off. I wanted it. It’s not like I’m not helping the team, but I’m here to help the team and the organization. Today, I felt like I wanted to work on my swing. That’s what I did.”
As the players-only meeting began, Hinch stood in an interview room and answered a question about hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh. The offense is a disaster, making Coolbaugh an easy scapegoat.
The Kansas City Royals fired hitting coach Terry Bradshaw on May 16, citing poor results through the team’s first 32 games. Likewise, two veteran managers, Joe Girardi and Joe Maddon, have been fired this season. Coaching moves can happen when teams believe they’ve reached a low point.
“I think you have to make sure that you consider 24 hours from that,” Hinch said. “It feels good, and you feel like you made a change by doing something, no matter what it is, whether it’s sending a player up or down, changing the coaching staff, changing the manager.
“This happens in pro sports all the time. And 24 hours later, you have the same back-end-of-the-league team offense. Is that better? Is that worse? Was he a bad coach a week ago, 10 days ago, when we were swinging the bat pretty well against Minnesota?”
Báez, the leader of the Tigers’ MLB-worst 35.9% chase rate, said many players spoke up in the team meeting, but he didn’t say which players called for the gathering. The coaches simplified the goal to moving the ball forward and seeing more pitches. In Wednesday’s loss, the Tigers worked just two three-ball counts. They’ve been dominated by seemingly all pitchers and shut out nine times this season.
It’s June 15.
The Tigers are scrambling for solutions, their lengthy postgame players-only meeting only their latest effort.
“If we had the solution, we might not be in this hole that we’re in right now,” Haase said. “Every guy is here doing early work or in the office looking at all the analytics. It’s not a lack of trying. We’re trying to pull out every stop. It’s just not translating to the field right now. We need to change that.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.