A close to .500 record and within striking distance of first place in the AL Central, the Tigers were in pretty good shape just a little more than a week ago.
Then their best hitter and fielder, Riley Greene, hurt his leg, their top pitcher, Eduardo Rodriguez, suffered a finger ailment, and their fastest runner, Matt Vierling, wrenched his back.
It was the definition of an “Uh-Oh” moment. The Tigers were cooked. Done like dinner. The type when you forgot to set the timer on the oven. Charred. Burned.
It doesn’t have to be that way, though. The Tigers lineup is embarrassingly inept.
Javy Baez has been terrible, his lack of plate discipline is deplorable from a high-priced, veteran player. He should be a leader, and is, the destructive kind.
It’s as if his teammates are following his lead of poor fundamental baseball.
It wasn’t surprising the Phillies’ Aaron Nola no-hit the Tigers for 6 2-3 innings. It was like stealing candy from a baby the way he mixed his two-seam fastball with his breaking ball Monday.
Taijuan Walker had severe control issues entering his start Tuesday. True to form, he kept misfiring his splitter into the dirt. The Tigers swung anyway and were shutout, 1-0, wasting a stellar effort by the bullpen.
This is an important litmus test for Scott Harris. A top general manager doesn’t just sit back and do nothing under the guise of injuries and/or rebuilding.
Just giving up on the season has become too much the norm for the Tigers.
It was something their top general managers in the past, Bill Lajoie and Dave Dombrowski, didn’t accept.
Early signs are Harris is cut of the same cloth. Zach McKinstry genuinely helped the Tigers recover from their seemingly disastrous 2-9 start. He didn’t hesitate to bring in Jake Marisnik, which made sense given his defensive prowess and experience.
But under the circumstances, Harris should turn to the minor leagues, too.
While Justyn-Henry Malloy has slumped lately, it might jump-start his development to bring him to MLB. He is a patient hitter with plenty of minor league experience.
Colt Keith has dominated the Arizona Fall League and Double-A ball.
Maybe they would help until Greene and Vierling return.
And please, none of this nonsense they aren’t ready yet.
Maybe not, but what would it hurt? It seems like Malloy has gotten a little stale at Triple-A. Keith is gifted. There should be no service time or 40-man roster issues.
Al Kaline was 18, Alan Trammell 19, Lou Whitaker 20 and Lance Parrish 21 when they made their MLB debuts. Kirk Gibson hit just .242 in 502 minor league at bats, many in A-ball, before he made his MLB debut at 22 as a college player.
Rick Porcello was 20 and Joel Zumaya 21 when they played significant roles on contending teams under Dombrowski’s watch.
Keith will turn 22 in August, and Malloy is 23.
Jim Leyland, who managed the Tigers’ best teams in recent memory, said, “I’ll always take talent over experience.”
Give the kids a try. There is very little to lose and something, perhaps, to gain.
They can easily be sent back to the minors, and with better knowledge of what it takes to succeed in MLB.
And no way can they be worse.