One Surgery Sent the Detroit Tigers From First Place to Last in Ten Days

Just a mere 10 days ago the Detroit Tigers were 19-17 and sitting in first place in the AL Central. As of Thursday, they are 19-25, dead last in their division, and limping home.

The once-touted superstar team just got swept by the New York Mets, a team that entered the series with a losing record and one of the worst offenses in the National League.

What is going on? Well, numbers don’t lie and right now the story is bleak.

An Embarrassing Sweep That Demands Explanation

Let’s just slow down for a minute and examine what just happened at Citi Field. Truthfully, it needs to be stated for what it was.

The Mets entered the series at 17-25, last in the NL East and ranked at the bottom for their offensive efforts.

Then, they outscored the Tigers 22-8 across the three-game series and recorded a sweep.

Calling a spade a spade here, the first game of the series was brutal. A 10-2 beatdown. The team came into game two with hope as Framber Valdez would be taking the mound again after his five-game suspension. Let down again as the team couldn’t hold on to their 2-0 lead.

In game three, the frustration clearly boiled over onto the field. A 9-4 loss was handed to the Tigers. Gage Workman was called out at third on a play that A.J. Hinch thought he was safe. Ultimately, that led to Hinch's ejection.

He probably needed that release after a 10-day stretch where almost everything had gone wrong.

On the other side of the ball, the Mets deserve some credit as their pitching staff showed up. But the Tigers should have been able to attack this rotation, and they truly looked helpless.

This feels very reminiscent of 2025. Maybe fans can hold on to hope that the downfall is happening early in the season and the second half will be where the surge happens? Instead of the other way around?

The Skubal Crisis

May 4, a day that Tigers fans may have to remember for a while. That’s when the team’s two-time Cy Young winner, the best pitcher in the AL, the man, the myth and the legend all in one, was scratched. It came as a shock.

Tarik Skubal was scratched from the schedule and placed on the injured list citing, “loose bodies in his left elbow.” Those pesky loose bodies would require Skubal to have arthroscopic surgery.

There hasn’t been an official timeline, but agent Scott Boras tried to get in front of the situation early on for his client, suggesting that he would be back sooner rather than later after an incredibly successful surgery.

Consider Skubal and what he was doing before the injury sat him down. He was boasting a 2.70 ERA across seven starts and 43.1 innings of work. His WHIP sat at .944. The Tigers could absolutely count on the man to gather a win every five days.

Now, without the superstar in the rotation, the team has a record of 2-8. Does he just bring that much presence to the room? Clearly.

When you analyze the numbers, it is clear to see that without Skubal, the pitching staff basically runs on fumes.

Valdez was supposed to be the dream addition to the team. He is good, but he is not Skubal good and his actions on the field don’t always align with the Tigers kind of baseball, as evidenced recently.

The Numbers Game

So, exactly where are we at this point in the season? What has gone wrong?

There are two realities when viewing the team stats for Detroit. The pitching staff is lacking. The offense is functional but it can’t overcome the lack of success on the mound.

The team is posting a slash line of .242/.324/.389, 40 home runs in 44 games and 174 RBI. Not too bad honestly, but then you see the slugging percentage at .389 and the fact that it ranks 21st in MLB proves the team just isn’t doing enough damage.

Let’s break it down by players. There are some bright spots. One is nearly blinding. Kevin McGonigle is a revelation. He is slashing .293/.400/.433 and has set record after record. Riley Greene is smashing at .331/.426/.490 with a .916 OPS. He is everything the Tigers could hope for.

Dillon Dingler is leading the team with eight home runs, but hitting just .241. Spencer Torkelson is struggling. As a former No. 1 overall pick, he is batting just .197. Wenceel Perez is even worse at the plate showing a .169 average.

Moving on to the mound. Jack Flaherty is 0-4 with a 5.73 ERA. That’s his worst showings in nine years. Valdez is 2-2 with a 4.32 ERA. Justin Verlander has pitched just 3.2 innings all season and sports a 12.27 ERA.

No one would look at those numbers and expect this team to be winning.

The bullpen has some bright spots, but clearly can’t keep up with an offense that isn’t producing and starters letting games get away.

Another huge problem for the Tigers - away games. At home the team is very respectable with a 12-6 record. Take them away from Comerica Park and well, it’s scary. A 7-19 away record is hard to overcome.

This isn’t just going to fix itself and the schedule is not going to get any easier. So, what needs to happen?

Moving Onward and Hopefully Upward

Real talk here is that the Tigers are not a bad baseball team. They were in first place just two weeks ago, but that was a house of cards built at their home field. They also had a stabilizing presence in Skubal.

Valdez needs to start pitching like the pitcher Detroit acquired him to be. He is not dominant right now and that’s just not good enough given the situation. The Tigers need him to be the leader and carry the rotation in Skubal’s absence.

Flaherty needs to find something, ok, anything. Please. Otherwise it’s time to replace him in the rotation.

Speaking of needing to find something - Spencer Torkelson. To reiterate, he is hitting .197. This has to change because it is a real problem. Perez as well. The lineup has got to carry their weight.

Kenley Jansen needs to find a way to close games. He has blown three saves and carries a 4.35 ERA. It might be time to start considering Kyle Finnegan for the closer spot. He’s boasting a 1.31 ERA and has been far more reliable.

There is plenty of season left. The Tigers proved last season that things can be won or lost in a half-season. Ok, we don’t want to recall the 2025 blown 14.5-game lead, but it is proof it can be done. Detroit could find its mojo and get back on track.

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