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Detroit Tigers Newsletter: 2024 Chicago White Sox challenging '03 Tigers spot in AL cellar
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- Detroit Tigers Newsletter: 2024 Chicago White Sox challenging '03 Tigers spot in AL cellar
You could argue that at least part of the Detroit Tigers ' dire position in the American League Central — 11½ games back of the Cleveland Guardians , 9½ back of the Minnesota Twins and 8½ back of the Kansas City Royals — can be chalked up to games against the Chicago White Sox — or the lack there of.
(OK, OK, we know there have been other issues — the too-often disappearing offense, the wealth of injuries to the rotation and an overworked bullpen that's 13thin ERA despite being third in WHIP — but stick with us, we're going somewhere.)
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The Tigers (61-64) have played just six games against the South Siders (going 5-1) while the 72-52 Guardians have 10 (5-5, which, yes, is a full sixth of all White Sox wins this season) and the 70-54 Twins and 69-55 Royals have finished their 13-game series against the ChiSox already, with identical 12-1 records.
But now the Tigers are poised to get at least a few of those games back; Friday brings their first series against the ChiSox since June and their first visit to, sigh, Guaranteed Rate Field since their season-opening three-game sweep. (The Tigers' next 10 games also bring a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs , idling at 61-64, and the Los Angeles Angels of Greater Southern California Which Includes But Is Not Limited To Anaheim, California — aka, the Halos — who are in the cellar out west at 53-71. Rejoice. )
Detroit Tigers shortstop Zach McKinstry (39) celebrates after hitting a home run in the seventh inning against the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park in Detroit on Sunday, June 23, 2024.
SUNDAY'S ACTION: Tigers steal 3-2 win from New York Yankees in Little League Classic in 10 innings
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Hello, and welcome to the Not-Many-Wins-dy City Newsletter!
Of course, while the Tigers' 2024 has been full of ups and downs (and yet no winning or losing streaks longer than five games), the ChiSox's season has been a race to the bottom, nearly as fast as noted Chicagoland resident Clark Griswold's descent on a greased saucer so many winters ago .
How bad has it been? While the Tigers were off paying attention to the rest of the league, the ChiSox began dropping games with impressive regularity — 21 in April, 19 apiece in May and June, another 22 in July (in only 25 games) and then 11 this month. Altogether, that's 95 losses in 125 games — putting them on pace for 123 losses, which would be a modern MLB record (surpassing the 120 of the 1962 N.Y. Mets ) — and, mercifully, an elimination from playoff contention after Saturday's loss in Houston .
Even if the Sox can tap the brakes a bit — even a five-game win streak probably moves them out of the Mets' orbit — they've still got a solid shot at wiping out the AL record of 119 losses, set by Detroit's own Tigers back in 2003 .
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And that, of course, got us wondering: Which squad — the '03 Tigers or '24 White Sox — was actually worse? We may never have a satisfying answer, but we thought we'd break down how the two broken-down franchises stacked up against their errors … er, eras. (For fairness' sake, we'll be comparing the 2024 ChiSox's numbers to all MLB teams, but the 2003 Tigers against only AL teams, since NL squads didn't have the designated hitter for most of their games.)
At the plate
The numbers:You don't threaten the modern MLB record for losses in a season without being horrid at both hitting and pitching. But we've got to start somewhere, and it might as well be on offense, where the ChiSox have rarely gotten started; they're mustering just 3.10 runs per game. Not only is that 1.32 runs a game below the league average — which is 0.3 runs a game below last season's average — but it's 0.58 runs worse than the next worst team (the Marlins ) and 0.83 runs worse than the next worst AL team (the Rays ). The '03 Tigers' raw numbers were a little better through 125 games (reached on Aug. 20), but not by much; they averaged 3.34 runs a game. Teams in 2003 scored at a much higher rate, however, with an MLB team average of 4.74 runs per game through the '03 Tigers' 125thgame, meaning the Tigers were 1.4 runs a game off the average. Likewise, the '03 Tigers were 0.87 runs a game worse than the next-worst AL team (Cleveland). The slash marks are equally woeful for the '03 Tigers; they slashed .236/.296/.368 through 125 games, for a .664 OPS that was 97 points below the final AL average OPS (.761). (The Tigers actually picked it up a bit over their final 37 games, finishing with a .675 OPS … that was still 42 points behind Cleveland.) The ChiSox, meanwhile, have posted a slash line of .219/.278/.346 — a .623 OPS that's on pace to be sixth-worst in the AL in the divisional era (dating back to 1969). But that .623 is still only 91 points worse than the MLB average this season — a margin ever-so-slightly better than that of the '03 Tigers.
A.J. Hinch and Kirk Gibson were teammates on the ill-fated 2003 Tigers team that lost 119 games.
Who was worse?By pure production, we've got to go with the 2003 Tigers, but for aesthetics, the ChiSox are making their own case — they've struck out 1,090 times while walking just 307 times, though neither of those numbers are the worst in the majors. (The '03 Tigers, meanwhile, struck out 845 times and walked 339 times over their first 125 games — not good, but better than the ChiSox.)
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On the mound
The numbers:Amazingly, the White Sox don't have the majors' worst pitching staff this season; their 5.17 runs allowed per game and 4.83 ERA are both second-worst, with the Rockies stinking it up a mile high (at 5.85 runs per game and a 5.55 ERA). But how do the ChiSox compare to the league averages? Again, teams are allowing 4.42 runs a game, so the Sox are 0.75 runs worse than average. MLB's ERA through Sunday was 4.10, meaning the Sox are 0.73 worse when we take out errors. Oddly enough, the 2003 Tigers were also only the second-worst pitching staff in the majors; they averaged 5.46 runs allowed over their first 125 games, with a 4.99 ERA, well off the 6.03 runs allowed and 5.70 ERA of the Rangers on Aug. 20, 2003. (Of course, the Rangers had the last laugh, taking six of seven games from the Tigers in the season series, including a three-game sweep at Game 125.) And against league average? AL teams averaged 4.89 runs allowed through Aug. 20, 2003 — 0.57 runs better than the '03 Tigers.
Detroit Tigers manager Alan Trammell autographs baseballs, photos and other mementos for fans before the game against the Minnesota Twins Sunday, Sept. 28, 2003, at Comerica Park in Detroit.
Who was worse?Compared to their eras, the Sox get the nod here, though, again, the changes in the game over 21 seasons make for some interesting differences in the underlying numbers. The '03 Tigers were torched for 144 homers in 125 games and managed just 576 strikeouts; The '24 ChiSox, meanwhile have given up 164 homers … but while striking out 1,023 batters.
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The skids
The numbers:The ChiSox, of course, tied the AL record for consecutive losses a couple of weeks ago by dropping 21 straight games — equaling the mark set by the 1988 Orioles — from July 10-Aug. 5. There weren't a lot of squeakers in that run, either, with just five of the losses coming by two runs or fewer. During the record skid, the ChiSox were outscored 136-49, an average margin of defeat of 4.1 runs a game —which means that, based on their offense this season, you could have given the Sox hitters 18 innings every game and they still wouldn't have matched their foes' total runs. The '03 Tigers' worst skid ran a much less historic 11 games, from Aug. 13-23. During that stretch, they were outscored 83-46 — a margin of 3.36 runs a game —with four losses of two runs or fewer.
Who was worse?Regardless of how many losses they wind up with, the ChiSox likely won't make MLB history this year — with just 37 games to go, the 1961 Phillies ' mark of 23 straight losses appears safe. But the Sox still take another L in this category.
The intangibles
The numbers:Of course, loss totals can only tell us so much about how bad a team is in a given season. Let's examine a few of the more notable details from the ChiSox's and Tigers' collapses. For example, the Tigers improbably maintained a steady rotation throughout 2003, with just 10 starting pitchers (all of whom started at least three games) and Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Cornejo and Mike Maroth each starting at least 28 times. That resulted in 19, 17 and 21 losses, respectively; Maroth was the first 20-game loser in the majors since Oakland 's Brian Kingman in 1980, and no pitcher has matched him since. The ChiSox, with 15 starters already this season, won't have a 20-game loser, though Chris Flexen is making a late push. He's at 12 defeats, thanks to a personal nine-game losing streak, with seven potential starts remaining, including Friday against the Tigers.
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But the ChiSox have already done something the '03 Tigers were unwilling to: Fire their manager. Chicago cut Pedro Grifol loose on Aug. 7, following their 22ndloss in 23 games — yes, apparently, the lack of a winning streak following 21 straight losses was the last straw. Grifol's two-season reign of error on the South Side may never be matched. Not only did his 89-190 record result in a .319 "winning" percentage that's the worst in franchise history among full-timers, but it's among the worst in MLB history. He just misses Baseball Reference's 315-game mark for rate stats, but just two — TWO — managers with 315 games managed have worse career winning percentages: John McCloskey, who led the Louisville Colonels (1895-96) and St. Louis Cardinals (1906-08) to a 190-417 (.313) mark, and Doc Prothro, who went 138-320 (.301) with the Phillies in 1939-41. Even the 2003 Tigers' manager, Alan Trammell, managed a .382 winning percentage over his three seasons.
Who was worse?There's been so much losing in this piece already … let's call this category a tie (and forget to go to extra innings).
The final verdict
Of course, we won't truly know which team was worse for another six weeks. The ChiSox have a one-game "lead" on the '03 Tigers, 30-95 vs. 31-94, but the race is far from over. After all, the Tigers were all but guaranteed to set the MLB record for losses as they entered the final week of the 2003 season at 38-117, a .245 winning percentage. But they squeaked out wins in five of their final seven games — including three of four in the final series at home against the Twins — to finish a loss shy of the 1962 Mets. The ChiSox, meanwhile, have a .240 winning percentage. Do they have a similar finishing kick in store?
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Distant replay
Frame grab from Fox Sports Detroit of Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga losing his perfect game when umpire Jim Joyce ruled Cleveland Indians' Jason Donald safe at first base, which would have been the last out of the game, Wednesday, June 2, 2010 at Comerica Park.
While we're in the Wayback Machine, ESPN poked the Armando Galarraga "Imperfect Game" bear again with Sunday's E60 documentary. Is there a chance that MLB commissioner Rob Manfred (or his successor down the line) could bring the Tiger's June 2010 gem into the realm of the game's officially recognized perfect games? Don't hold your breath .
Mark your calendar, Part I
Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers pitches during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024.
Of course, before then, the Tigers have a four-game set vs. the ChiSox beginning Friday — yes, that means a weird Monday night series finale next week. The good news for the Tigers, other than getting to play the White Sox, is that left-hander Tarik Skubal (we hear he's the AL Cy Young frontrunner) will take the mound again during the series, following Sunday's no-decision (with one run allowed over six innings). The bad news: He probably won't be wearing the special shoes he sported Sunday in Williamsport — y'know, the ones paying tribute to everyone's favorite mystery-solving duo (no, not Jason Benetti and Alex Avila ), Shaggy and Scooby Doo. The Freep's Evan Petzold got the scoop behind the Nike kicks over the weekend; they're a lot more work than you'd think .
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The new guys
Detroit Tigers infielder Jace Jung (17) throws to first against the New York Yankees in the first inning at BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024.
Skub's shoes may be gone, but the Tigers have plenty of new looks, thanks to a bevy of callups from Triple-A Toledo last week. That includes a pair of infield prospects, third baseman Jace Jung (who drove in the tying run in Sunday's ninth inning ) and shortstop Trey Sweeney (who was picked up from L.A. in last month's Jack Flaherty trade). So why did the Tigers promote the duo with six weeks to go? As Our Man Petzold chronicled, it's time to start seeing what the Tigers have for 2025, and that means getting the kids some experience .
The not-so-new guy
Detroit Tigers infielder Colt Keith (33) hits a double against the New York Yankees in the ninth inning at BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024.
That big-league cup of coffee before a rookie season is something the Tigers' most experienced rookie, Colt Keith , didn't get before this season. As the Freep's Carlos Monarrez observed, amid a bevy of AL Rookie of the Year candidates at Comerica Park on Friday and Saturday, that makes his success this season even more impressive . Keith ignited the Tigers' ninth-inning rally Sunday as part of a three-hit performance — his fifth multi-hit game in his past eight appearances, and his 26thmulti-hit game this season.
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The really not-so-new guy
Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson (20) scores a run on a single by Detroit Tigers shortstop Zach McKinstry (39) (not pictured) in the second inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024.
And then there's the other new addition to the Tigers lineup, with an eye toward prepping for 2025: Some guy named … Spencer Tork-EL-son? Are we spelling that correctly? Yes, the 31-homer slugger from a season ago-turned-Toledo Mud Hen returned to Detroit on Saturday (with a walk, a double and a triple — call it a Ty Cobb Hat Trick ) and, as Our Man Petzold noted, he's taking a different approach at the plate these days.
Mark your calendar, Part II
Detroit Tigers pitcher Brant Hurter throws a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the second inning at Oracle Park on Aug. 10, 2024 in San Francisco.
What was that about 2025? Before we get to that season — opening on an unseasonably early March 27, we've got to get through the Grapefruit League schedule , as relayed by Our Man Petzold. After 25 games in Florida, it's west to San Francisco for a pair of exhibitions against the Giants before the season begins in L.A.
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Nuclear power
Detroit Tigers catcher Thayron Liranzo swings in a game for the West Michigan Whitecaps, the Tigers' High-A affiliate, in the 2024 season.
On a slightly longer timeframe — think 2026! — there's new No. 6 prospect Thayron Liranzo, who has been "nuking balls" (in the words of Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris) since joining the organization as the other part of the Flaherty trade. His slash line as a West Michigan Whitecap: .396/.547/.771 — a series of numbers which we promise is not us fooling around on the number pad.
Talking the talk
Detroit Tigers infielder Hao-Yu Lee (left) and interpreter Peter Lin (right) pose for a photo before a Salt River Rafters game in the Arizona Fall League on November 1, 2023 in Peoria, Arizona.
While we're here, we've got to point out that players aren't the only ones on the move at the trade deadline. Sometimes, interpreters get dealt, too. At least, that's what happened to Peter Lin, the Mandarin-language interpreter for infielder Hao-Yu Lee, who joined the Tigers' No. 8 prospect in last year's Michael Lorenzen trade. Our Man Petzold has the story of how the relationship between the duo has changed over the past year in West Michigan and Double-A Erie.
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3 to watch
Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene (31) breaks his bat against the New York Yankees in the first inning at BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024.
Returning slightly closer to Detroit (and to 2024), three Tigers to watch this week:
RILEY GREENE : The Tigers' other 2024 All-Star is back from the IL, returning Sunday as the roster's special-game 27 th player .
MATT MANNING : The oft-injured right-hander on the Triple-A IL is working toward a 2024 return .
KEIDER MONTERO : The rookie righty shut down the high-powered Yankees on Saturday .
Happy birthday, J.D.!
New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez (28) doubles during the fourth inning against the Washington Nationals on July 11, 2024, at Citi Field.
J.D. Martinez , the Tigers' former DH, turns 37 on Wednesday. Martinez, who posted a .912 OPS over parts of four seasons (2014-17) in Detroit, is having a solid season with the Mets, with a slash line of .256/.344/.432 that includes 12 homers in 93 games and 1.1 bWAR. (Tigers DHs, meanwhile, have accounted for a .218/.298/.418 slash line with 23 homers and 1.3 bWAR in 125 games.)
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Other Tigers birthdays this week: Drew Hutchison (34 on Thursday), Jeff Weaver(48 on Thursday), George Kell(would have been 102 on Friday; died in 2009) and Justin Upton (37 on Sunday).
TL;DR
Detroit Tigers second base Colt Keith (33) celebrates batting a double against Chicago White Sox during the eighth inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, June 22, 2024.
The White Sox's remaining strength of schedule isn't awful — 18th in the majors at .498, with three series remaining against current playoff squads. That means their pursuit of losing history could come down to the season's final weekend, with the Tigers taking a front-row seat — the two squads wrap up 2024 at Comerica Park on Sept. 27-29.
Contact Ryan Ford at rford@freepress.com . Follow him on X (which used to be Twitter, y'know?) @theford .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers Newsletter: Time for Tigers to get boost from White Sox
