At 43-119, the 2003 Detroit Tigers had the worst record of any team in American League history and came within one loss of tying the woeful New York Mets of 1962 with the most losses in modern major league history. 

The 2019 Detroit Tigers are almost as bad. A .299 winning percentage, and falling fast, would have them winning just 48 games. 

It’s no wonder. This team is giving away victories right and left. Detroit gave away two of the three games the Rangers just swept against them. Bad defense. Bad pitching. Bad hitting. 

Bad baseball.

The pivotal seventh inning pretty much summarized the Detroit Tigers season. The Rangers had one hit. Yet they scored four runs. 

When you walk the worst hitter in baseball, you have it coming to you, and that’s exactly what the Tigers did to lead off the seventh. They walked Jeff Mathis. Then they walked Shin-Soo Choo. Danny Santana grounded out to move them to second and third. Then Elvis Andrus hit a grounder to third and Mathis stupidly ran home and was thrown out by a mile for the second out of the inning. It’s understandable, in a way; he is rarely on base and didn’t know what to do.

Then they walked Nomar Mazara to load the bases. Three gifts just ready to be unwrapped. Which is what Willie Calhoun did with a triple down the right field line. A gift wild pitch scored him.

Four runs. One hit. 

It was like picking on the weak kid at school.

Don’t get me wrong. It was great to sweep the Tigers. But it just felt sad. 

*****

TODAY’S GAME:

Mike Minor (9-6, 3.21) vs. Aaron Civale (1-0, 0.00)

Game time: 6:10