From the MLB app this morning:
These April surprises have held up in May
The Tigers’ offense is legit
Much like last year, when the Tigers made a shocking late-season turnaround to reach the playoffs, their pitching staff appeared to be the clear strength of the team heading into 2025. After Detroit fell short in its pursuit of free-agent third baseman Alex Bregmanover the winter, the club entered the season with much of the same lineup that scored the 11th-fewest runs in MLB a year ago.
But while the Tigers have again been effective at run prevention, it’s not the pitching that’s driving their rise to the top of the AL standings -- it’s the offense. (OK, Tarik Skubalhas been pretty awesome, too.) Getting unexpected contributions from Spencer Torkelson, Javier Báez and Zach McKinstry, Detroit’s offense ranks fourth in the Majors in runs per game (5.07) this season, and only the Cubs and Dodgers have scored more runs in May.