DETROIT — The Detroit Tigers left Minnesota on July 4, fresh off a 12-3, rain-soaked loss that put the team a season-high nine games under .500.
Injuries were piling up. The offense was too often wayward. The bullpen was shaky and a tough stretch of schedule loomed. On the outside, morale among fans and prognosticators was in the tank.
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And then? The Tigers closed the first half by winning eight of 10 games. They swept the Cincinnati Reds, then took three of four from the Cleveland Guardians, then won two of three against the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers. Detroit enters the All-Star break fresh off back-to-back walk-off victories and now only three games under .500.
“I think it’s always important to keep it in perspective,” manager A.J. Hinch said Sunday afternoon. “The group that wasn’t down was our guys.”
Sunday after the latest theatrics, players sang along to victory music, then wheeled their suitcases out of the clubhouse, heading into the All-Star break with real positive momentum for the first time since their 5-0 start.
“Very proud of our group, through the tough times and through this nice stretch,” Hinch said. “We still have a long ways to go to get where we want to be.”
Tarik Skubal and Riley Greene are living up to their potential
Two of the players exiting the clubhouse were on the same flight. Riley Greene and Tarik Skubal are headed to the All-Star Game, where they will don Cartier Buffs sunglasses and Shinola watches — gifts to and from each other — as they trot down the red carpet for the first time.
In a first half full of ups and downs, Skubal and Greene have stood out as two shining lights. Skubal has crafted a breakthrough first half and asserted himself as arguably the best starting pitcher in baseball. He has been a thrill to watch every fifth day. The numbers (2.41 ERA, 10.86 K/9) speak for themselves. Beyond that, Skubal’s energy and mound presence seem to jolt the Tigers every time he takes the ball. Detroit is 12-7 in games Skubal has started.
Shortstop Zach McKinstry pointed to Skubal’s stellar outing in Cincinnati — where he went seven innings and struck out 13 batters — as a game that fueled the Tigers’ recent turnaround.
TARIK. SKUBAL.
🚨 New career-high 13 strikeouts 🚨 pic.twitter.com/D6K8Pb4kmk
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 7, 2024
“He was just electric for us on the road,” McKinstry said. “He was showing emotion. It was awesome to be a part of. I think his emotion just rubbed off on everybody else, just seeing how much he wanted to win that game.”
Greene, too, is finally starting to get more recognition as one of the game’s best young hitters. He entered Sunday’s first-half finale hitting .271 with 17 home runs. His 3.0 fWAR ranks fifth among American League outfielders. And among MLB players age 24 or younger, the 23-year-old Greene ranks third, behind only Gunnar Henderson and Bobby Witt Jr., with an .867 OPS.
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Youth has seen ups and downs
Speaking of players 24 and younger: The Tigers entered Sunday leading MLB with 1,446 plate appearances from such players. With that youth has come bouts of frustration and reasons for hope.
Second baseman Colt Keith is a perfect example. The rookie hit .152 over his first 30 games but has since been on a tear, establishing himself as one of the best rookies in the league and showing the makings of a real middle-of-the-order bat.
On the downside, 24-year-old Spencer Torkelson was supposed to be an important part of this rising core. Instead, he is back in Triple A after hitting .201 in 54 games this season. We could see Torkelson back up at some point in the second half, but the fact that he has 1,318 career MLB plate appearances and only a .683 career OPS is a real concern.
For as much as struggles from Torkelson and Parker Meadows earlier this season put a damper on hopes for a quick rise, the Tigers have also gotten surprising contributions from Wenceel Pérez (.261 batting average), and Justyn-Henry Malloy has begun to look more comfortable over his first 33 games in the big leagues.
Are these players part of a core that could one day lead the Tigers back to the playoffs? Hard to say, but again and again we’ve been reminded of how nonlinear development can be, even at the major-league level.
The roster still has major problems
Plenty of people in the league raised eyebrows when the Tigers gave Jack Flaherty $14 million over the winter. Flaherty has turned out to be worth every penny, entering the All-Star break with a 3.13 ERA and averaging 11.27 K/9. He will be among the most coveted pitchers at the trade deadline — the Tigers will have to stay red-hot after the break to avoid being sellers.
The rest of Detroit’s offseason additions are looking like misses. Scott Harris struck quickly this offseason when he traded for outfielder Mark Canha, who was on the cusp of being non-tendered by the Milwaukee Brewers. Canha is closing the first half in a major slump. He has a 96 wRC+ and has been worth only 0.6 fWAR. Gio Urshela was the other veteran bat Harris added in spring training. He has an 81 wRC+ and has graded out as a negative defender. In the bullpen, Andrew Chafin has had peaks and valleys but stabilized recently with a 3.66 ERA. Shelby Miller has been hampered by the home run ball and ended the first half with a 5.23 ERA.
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These additions meant to supplement a young roster haven’t provided the stability needed. The Tigers are also hampered with struggling players such as Zach McKinstry (batting .201 since June 1, 2023) and left-handed pitcher Joey Wentz (a 6.44 ERA over his past 145 1/3 MLB innings), who are out of options and have remained on the roster despite their prolonged struggles.
Speaking of lacking contributions: Kenta Maeda has been one of the worst pitchers in baseball, posting a 7.26 ERA through 16 first-half starts. The Tigers made the decision last week to move Maeda to the bullpen “for the foreseeable future.” He made his first relief appearance Sunday against the Dodgers and promptly fired 3 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out five batters and showing much-improved velocity and stuff.
Maeda, jeered by fans all year, walked off the field to a touching standing ovation. That, as much as anything, shows the unpredictability of baseball and symbolizes the whiplash first half the Tigers closed on a positive note.
“Ever since joining the Tigers, I haven’t been able to contribute positively with my pitching,” Maeda said. “With an ovation like that today … that really made me feel great, and I just hope to continue to do that going forward.”
(Top photo of Tarik Skubal: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
Cody Stavenhagen is a staff writer covering the Detroit Tigers and Major League Baseball for The Athletic. Previously, he covered Michigan football at The Athletic and Oklahoma football and basketball for the Tulsa World, where he was named APSE Beat Writer of the Year for his circulation group in 2016. He is a native of Amarillo, Texas. Follow Cody on Twitter @CodyStavenhagen
