DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers are the best team in Major League Baseball.
OK, I’m obviously kidding, but that’s technically what the standings say. Detroit is one of two teams with a 6-1 record through the first week of the season, alongside the equally surprising Pittsburgh Pirates.
But I think even the most diehard Tigers fan can agree there are some early warning signs.
First of all, the Tigers have played one of the easiest schedules in baseball, with three games each against the Chicago White Sox and New York Mets and one game against the Oakland Athletics.
The White Sox and Athletics are almost certainly going to be the two worst teams in the American League, and the Mets were 0-5 before their comeback win against the Tigers on Thursday evening.
So yes, the Tigers are living a charmed life. The fact that all six of their wins have either been by 1 run or gone to extra innings suggests the Tigers are probably closer to those weaker teams than the likes of the Dodgers, Braves, and Orioles.
The offensive struggles are another early warning sign.
The Tigers haven’t exactly faced an All-Star lineup of starting pitchers, but they’ve still struggled to score runs. Thrice the Tigers managed fewer than 2 runs in nine innings, and twice more they completed nine innings with just three runs.
Other than Gio Urshela and Mark Canha -- the lineup’s two veteran newcomers -- nobody is hitting with any consistency.
But here’s the good news: The Tigers can be a very flawed team and still compete for a playoff spot.
The AL Central is off to a better-than-expected start this season, but it’s still likely to be one of the weakest divisions in baseball.
And considering the abysmal starts the Tigers have endured each of the last three seasons, they aren’t going to nitpick how they’re stacking victories.
If the Tigers do end up in the playoff race, every single game will matter. So while close wins over bad teams might not look great on paper, they still count as wins.
The division-favorite Twins are 3-3 and the Guardians are 6-2. While it’s too early to put too much stock into scoreboard watching, the Tigers will take whatever head start they can get.