Embarrassed again: Rays 8, Tigers 0

Serious question: Are the Tigers the worst team in the American League? I'm not talking for the entire season. Clearly the Mariners and Orioles win that award. But I'm talking, as currently constituted, is it possible any team in the league is playing worse right now? Or has been playing worse for say, the past month?

Even the Orioles are scoring runs and just beat the White Sox in three of four games before putting up a 14-spot on the Indians. Yes, the same Indians who swept the Tigers.

And the Mariners ... well they do stink, but even they have won three of their last four games.

Meanwhile the Tigers are averaging just above a win a week since the All-Star Break. Seriously, Six wins in slightly more than four weeks of baseball. Great average if you're a football team. Unacceptable if you're a hockey or basketball team. And downright awful if you're a baseball team.

Detroit has been outscored 141-84 in the second half alone.

This is bad. Like real bad. Not that I have to tell you, the loyal folks who haven't moved on to football season.

Tonight, Max Scherzer gave up two runs -- one earned -- in seven innings. And somehow the Tigers manage to lose 8-0? I suppose when you walk three batters in a row with the bases loaded that sort of thing happens.

Usually you'd say, well, with Miguel Cabrera at least there's excitement waiting to happen. But he has just one extra-base hit this month, and that was a double. The Tigers, who barely threatened, did put runners on first and second in the seventh inning. (By the way, this constituted the first hit since leadoff batter Austin Jackson singled in the first inning.) But Cabrera grounded into a double play. Thus ended the only excitement at the plate for Detroit the entire game.

This is bad. Worse than the final few weeks of 2008 bad. Worse than the final few weeks of 2005 bad. Those teams only went 6-15. This one is at 6-22. I could be mistaken but I think you have to go back to 2003 to find a period of 28 games where the Tigers fared worse than the funk they're in.

And if you're invoking 2003... that's bad.

So back to the question at hand. Yes. I think these Tigers are the worst team in the American League until they prove otherwise.

This is soul crushingly bad.