The Tigers have been stinkin’ up the joint. They’ve lost 11 of 13 and, but for a questionable call or two in yesterday’s game vs. the Orioles, it could’ve been 12. But one loss matters far less than 21, which is the total number of their losses, and 7.5, which is how far back they are in the AL Central. Another number that matters is $200 million, which is the team’s payroll. May as well throw in the number 86, which is how many years old owner Mike Ilitch is, and he’s not getting any younger.
Manager Brad Ausmus was on the hot seat last year following the team’s last place finish and right after the season ended it seemed like even odds that he’d be fired and the Tigers would sell off some pieces. But rather than tear down and rebuild, new GM Al Avila went out and added pieces in Justin Upton and Jordan Zimmermann and kept Ausmus on board. Whether those were the right pieces to add is something people can disagree about, but the clear signal coming from the front office heading into 2016 was “the Tigers are expected to compete this year.” Except they’re not competing.
All of which tends to lead to managers getting fired, and Ausmus is clearly on the hot seat. Today both the Free Press and the News have columns speculating on Ausmus’ job security. Losing in bunches and losing in dispiriting fashion -- and bullpens blowing big leads is dispiriting -- doesn’t help matters. Whatever one thinks of the composition of the 2016 Tigers and no matter how little input Ausmus had into that composition, the manager in this situation often takes the fall.
I feel like it’s only a matter of time before Ausmus falls. The real question is going to be whether he outlasts Fredi Gonzalez in Atlanta. On the one hand, sure, the Braves are way, way worse. On the other hand, no one in Atlanta’s front office expects their team to win anything. The expectations in Detroit are far, far different.
If I were Brad Ausmus, I’d do my grocery shopping by the day.