I knew at some point during this season we would discuss whether the Tigers did enough to address their offensive woes from a year ago, but even I’m surprised we’re talking about it at six games into the year. I’m not trying to panic too much. This is, admittedly, the same record Detroit had when it returned home after its opening road trip a year ago. In 2025, Detroit would start its home campaign by sweeping the White Sox, and they never once again were in danger of dropping below .500. So it’s not like a whole lot has changed, but pressure gets turned up a little bit after blowing a 15.5 game lead.
It’s the same movie again. This falls on the offense. You wasted another brilliant Tarik Skubal start. A few years ago, that might’ve hit differently, but it’s pretty clear that there’s only a finite amount of starts that Skubal has left as a Tiger, and this is the 10th time in the last two years in which he’s given up one run or fewer and taking a loss or no decision. It’s another day where you had a no-show from the heart of your order. It’s another day where you had some hard-hit balls early that resulted in outs, and then you allowed the opposing pitcher to settle in.
From an age standpoint, this is still a relatively young team, but there are guys in this ball club who have been here for several years now, and so far, the small sample size in 2026 shows that they’re picking up right where they left off. I understand that the numbers exist, and the overall production numbers from this Tigers offensive core have been pretty solid over the last few years, but this is a game played by humans, and there is still something to be said about the eye test. This offense doesn’t pass the eye test right now. There’s no issue with this team that isn’t unfixable, but sometimes it just feels like pulling teeth. I feel like I’ve made similar statements about this offense quite a few times over the last few years. Their production (or lack thereof) will define this season.
Detroit returns home on Friday for its first home game of the season. Framber Valdez will be taking the mound, making his first career start at Comerica Park as a member of the Detroit Tigers. Hopefully, they can get it right.