Detroit Tigers Need Young Hitters To Heat Up Down Stretch of September
What the Detroit Tigers have accomplished over the last two months has been truly astonishing.
Despite trading away multiple veterans ahead of the deadline, the team has found their groove.
Heading into play on Sept. 9, they had the best record in the American League since July 1 at 35-25, tied with the Houston Astros.
They have added another victory to their ledger, as Keider Montero threw an impressive complete-game shutout against the Colorado Rockies to start that three-game series.
74-71 on the season, important September baseball is being played in Detroit for the first time in eight years.
Three games out of the final Wild Card spot in the AL, the Tigers are making this push on the back of some incredible pitching performances. Montero’s masterpiece is just the latest in what has been a very good stretch for their staff.
For them to complete this postseason push, the pitching will need to continue being elite, but they will also need contributions from their lineup, as scoring runs has sometimes been a struggle.
As shared by Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, Detroit is finding success despite their offense performing well below league average.
“For all the good we’ve seen, Detroit hitters still rank below league average with a 97 wRC+ since Aug. 1. Cut that split down to September, and the Tigers have performed 18 percent below league average, with a wRC+ of only 82,” he wrote.
Imagine where that number would be without the red-hot performance of outfielder Parker Meadows or second baseman Colt Keith heating up?
The consistent work of Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter and Matt Vierling has also been beneficial.
If this team is going to continue their hot streak, others need to contribute.
Jace Jung started 14-of-62 with only three extra-base hits in the Majors. Catcher Dillon Dingler has a .141/.167/.281 slash line in his first 66 Major League plate appearances. Trey Sweeney has provided some pop with three home runs, two doubles and nine RBI but is hitting .241 with a .290 on-base percentage. Spencer Torkelson, who was great through August after being recalled, is 3-for-28 in September.
One of those players heating up would be a major boost to the lineup.
Inconsistency in scoring runs is the biggest obstacle the franchise has to overcome, as they are putting a lot of pressure on the pitching staff to perform.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.