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Our last approval poll for the Tigers’ manager showed a sharp decline in the opinions of the fans. Checking in at 92 percent approval after an 8-1 start, Ausmus plummeted to 38 percent approval in March after a recent 3-6 stretch dropped their overall record to 28-16.
Now the Tigers sit on a 34-34 record, six and a half games back in the race for the AL Central -- the largest deficit this franchise has seen since early in the 2011 season. The offense has been right around average, scoring 4.13 runs per game, and the pitching has allowed 4.32 runs per game.
If there is a silver lining to the season thus far, the Tigers have been hit hard by a rash of injuries to key players, and those players are beginning to return. We shouldn’t hold the manager accountable for the players that aren’t even on his roster, and hopefully the returns of Victor Martinez, Justin Verlander, and eventually Alex Avila will spark this team to go on the hot streak they desperately need.
The state of the Detroit Tigers is pretty grim right now, but there are still reasons to be optimistic. How much do you blame the manager, and how confident are you he can get them turned around?