Tigers' Hinch: 'We're frustrated' after 12th loss in last 14 games

Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch is trying to stay optimistic despite a wretched start to the season made worse by a four-game sweep at the hands of the Houston Astros over the weekend.

"If you are talking about this game, we got one hit and a couple of walks," Hinch said Sunday after a shutout loss, according to Chris McCosky of the Detroit News. "We didn't do enough to win. They drew more walks (six) than hits (five) but had the one big swing on a mislocated pitch. Clearly, we're frustrated. Clearly, it's the same struggle. But it is what it is."

The Tigers have now lost 12 out of their last 14 games, including a current five-game losing streak. Detroit's 8-19 record is the second-worst mark in baseball.

"We need to play better," Hinch said. "We're going to go home and we need to fix this over the long haul. But it starts with one game. We have not played a really good, clean game where we've come out on top in a while.

"This was a terrible series. We're not playing well consistently. There have been flashes that it's going to get better, but we've got to put it together if we want to win a game."

The Tigers sit last or near the bottom in almost every significant offensive category in the majors, which includes an MLB-low 11 homers over 27 contests.

Detroit appeared poised to make another jump in 2022 following a great offseason on the heels of a surprising 77-win campaign. The team added Javy Baez, Eduardo Rodriguez, Austin Meadows, Tucker Barnhart, and Andrew Chafin to a young core led by former first-overall picks Spencer Torkelson and Casey Mize.