Minnesota Is In Much Better Condition To Overcome a Winless Start Than the 2003 Tigers

The losing streak to open the season, which was stopped at nine games with a victory over the Los Angeles Angels, has led American League baseball fans to compare the 2016 Minnesota Twins to the 2003 Detroit Tigers. It was that club which was the last to lose its first nine games, finally ending the ignominious run by defeating the Chicago White Sox 4-3 on April 12.

Detroit went on to go three and twenty one during the first month of the season, and ended the worst year in franchise history with a record of 43-119. The futility of the team’s misery could be summed up by examining the records of two of its starting pitchers. Mike Maroth went 9-21, while Jeremy Bonderman posted a record of 6-19.

The offense of the Tigers was as much to blame as the pitching staff, as the lineup lacked a bona fide cleanup hitter and leadoff man. First baseman Carlos Pena did hit 18 home runs, but he hit just .248. Outfielder Dmitri Young led the team with 29 home runs while hitting .289, but overall the veterans all experienced off years.

Other than the nine game losing streak to start the season, the comparison between the two teams seems unreasonable. For example, the Tigers scored just 14 runs during the losing streak, and they allowed 54 to the opposition.

Conversely, the games have been much closer during Minnesota’s losing streak. While the Twins duplicated the Detroit offense by scoring just 14 runs, the pitching staff has been far superior. Minnesota hurlers allowed only 36 runs in the nine games, almost twenty fewer than the Detroit staff of 2003.

The fact that the Twins have gotten solid pitching efforts bodes well for their chances to return to contention, even after such a dismal start. The team earned run average of 3.44 is among the lowest in the league, and their arms have kept the opponent batting average at .249.

An even more favorable sign that the Twins will have a better fate than the 2003 Detroit club requires a look at each team’s previous season. The Tigers the year before were nearly as bad as the one that lost their first nine games, as the 2002 team went through two managers on their way to a 55-107 record and a last place finish.

The Twins last year not only finished over .500, but they were in contention for a wild card spot until the second to last day of the season. The 2016 lineup is almost identical, minus recently retired All-Star Torii Hunter. The Gold Glove outfielder was certainly an important element to the Twins, but the Minnesota offense will eventually be better off with a full season from Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton.

Going the first two weeks without a win certainly presents an obstacle for the Twins, but they are in a much better position to overcome it than were the 2003 Detroit Tigers.

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