Tigers Eager To Turn The Page After Grim Weekend
DETROIT (WWJ) - The MLB schedule is a bit like a chaser: with every game comes the chance to wash a sour taste out of your mouth.
Certainly, the Tigers' sweep at the hands of the Indians is something the players would like to forget.
"It's pretty clear," Brad Ausmus said of Cleveland's three-game whitewashing. "They outscored us, they out-pitched us, they out-hit us."
The Tigers were off on Monday, left to reflect on that frustrating truth. James McCann said there's no such thing as a bad off-day, and the Tigers did look beaten-down and weary on Sunday afternoon. It's likely they benefited from stepping away from the game for a moment.
"Definitely for the players, it's nice just to shut down and forget about baseball for a day," Ausmus said.
Still, that bitter aftertaste remains.
What better way to expel it than with a bounce back performance against the surging Marlins?
"Nobody's real happy with how the weekend went but we can't do anything about it," Ausmus said before Tuesday night's game. "Baseball teaches you to look forward. Now we've got the Marlins for two games and we look to recover from the weekend by doing something here."
It's not a given that the Tigers will rebound, not as it may have been in years past against this opponent. The Marlins are far from the pushovers they once were, in large part because of their offensive firepower. Between Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich, they have one of the most – if not the most – fearsome outfield trios in the league. They won't be easy prey for these limping Tigers.
But maybe that's just what this ball club needs. They have struggled all year to beat good teams, to raise their level of play when the schedule calls for it. That fact was reinforced over the weekend, but here's another chance for the Tigers to prove otherwise.
With a crucial 11-game road trip set to begin on Thursday that will take the team up to the All-Star break, the Tigers are in need of some momentum – of some "mojo," as McCann called it. Momentum, admittedly, is an overrated concept in the sport of baseball, where a team is only as good as its next starting pitcher. But it means something for the players to feel good about themselves, to hit the road with some wind in their sails, and this mini two-game set with Miami presents just that opportunity.
"We've turned the page," said Michael Fulmer of the mood in the Tigers' clubhouse. "We know Miami is coming into town, they've been playing pretty good ball. So our focus is just on these next two games before the road trip, getting two more wins on this home stand."
It was an acute remark from Fulmer, as simple as it may sound. For even after dropping three straight to the Indians, the Tigers have a chance to make this current nine-game home stand a successful one. With two wins over Miami they'll close things out with a 6-3 mark, which would be a strong performance indeed, considering the competition.
But for now, they're just happy to be back on the field and eager to put the recent past behind them.
"It's a new day," said McCann. "Obviously we didn't play the way we wanted to [over the weekend], that's no secret. But the sun came up today and we have new ballgame to go play."
