AI Why do the 2026 Tigers offense suck so bad.
It is incredibly frustrating to watch, and you are definitely not imagining things. The Tigers have been leaving a small village on the basepaths, particularly during this brutal May slump that has dropped them to 20-30.
While "clutch" hitting can feel mystical, the Tigers' complete inability to cash in with runners in scoring position (RISP) boils down to a few very specific, overlapping
roster flaws.
1. The Middle-of-the-Order Black Hole
To drive in runs, you need your heavy hitters to clear the bases. Right now, the Tigers are getting zero production from the spots in the lineup meant to do the heavy lifting:
Spencer Torkelson: Torkelson is mired in a miserable slump, hovering around a .193 batting average and striking out at an alarming rate (63 strikeouts in 49 games). When your primary first baseman and cleanup/middle-of-the-order bat is striking out in nearly a third of his plate appearances, RISP opportunities die quickly.
Kerry Carpenter & Matt Vierling: Both are hitting right around the .215 to .217 mark. When over half of your core run-producers are struggling to keep their averages above the Mendoza line, you simply don't have the contact skills necessary to put the ball in play when it matters.
2. Extreme Swing-and-Miss / Lack of Situational Contact
When a runner is on third with less than two outs, you don't always need a line-drive hit—you just need to put the ball in play to activate a sacrifice fly or a productive groundout.
The Tigers are among the league leaders in team strikeouts.
Because they struggle to make contact, opposing pitchers can lean heavily on their breaking and off-speed stuff in the dirt, knowing the Tigers will chase. You can't execute a productive out if you're walking back to the dugout with a bat on your shoulder or swinging over a slider in the dirt.
3. Young Lineups Pressing
Outside of veterans like Gleyber Torres (who has been on the IL), this lineup features heavily adjusted roles for young players like Kevin McGonigle, Colt Keith, and Dillon Dingler. When a team enters a losing skid (like losing multiple close, low-scoring games to Cleveland and Toronto), the pressure mounts.
- Hitters expand their strike zones because they are desperately trying to be the "hero" who breaks the slump.
- This leads to weak pop-ups early in the count or ugly strikeouts on pitches way outside the zone.
4. Flukes, Variance, and the "Comerica Factor"
There is a massive discrepancy between the guys who are actually getting on base and the guys who are up to drive them in. Riley Greene (.317 AVG) and rookie Kevin McGonigle (.293 AVG) are doing their jobs beautifully by setting the table. But because the bottom of the order (and the slumping Torkelson) can't bring them home, it magnifies every single failed RISP opportunity. Add in Comerica Park’s spacious outfield deep pockets, and well-hit balls that might be extra-base hits elsewhere are dying on the warning track.
The Bottom Line: Until Torkelson finds his swing and the coaching staff can preach better two-strike situational contact, the Tigers are going to keep playing these agonizing games where they finish 1-for-7 or 0-for-8 with RISP.
