Slumping Tigers

Detroit has won just 4 of its last 11 and has not looked good at all against Boston.

The offense is .243/.309/.353 during that span. They have left an average of nearly 7 runners on base per game. This is an offense that can drive you crazy, scoring double digits one night and scuffling the next. Other than Miguel Cabrera, no one has been consistent. The Tigers, as a team, are below average in almost every measurable way.

At some point, you start to worry that these are not slumps, but trends. I'm not sure we're at that point, but we might be by the All-Star break.

The pitching has given up an average of 4.3 runs over the past 11 games and has a 4.12 ERA. Those numbers don't look too bad on the surface, but the Tigers have gotten only 4 above average starts during that span (based on the pitcher's "game score" on baseball-reference.com).

Detroit still holds 3.5 game leads over the Twins and White Sox in the AL Central. But the Tigers have fattened their record by going a combined 11-1 vs. Texas and Cleveland. For some reason, Detroit owns the Rangers, and the Tigs caught the Tribe in a freefall.

The Tigers are a combined 5-15 vs. Chicago, Minnesota, Boston, Anaheim, New York and Toronto. The White Sox and Twins are their primary pursuers while, outside of Texas, the remainder are the best teams Detroit has faced so far.