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The Detroit Tigers were one of the hottest teams at the end of last season, and they are one of the hottest to begin this year as well. A big reason why the Tigers have had so much success is their pitching staff. Detroit's starting rotation is as lethal as it gets, and Reese Olson gave the Tigers one of the team's most impressive performances on Wednesday as Detroit beat the San Diego Padres 6-0 on Wednesday.
Reese Olson lasted 7.1 innings and he gave up zero runs on two hits. Olson struck out seven batters and he walked just one. It was a dominant performance, and after the game, Olson made a bold claim about the Tigers' pitching staff.
“Our staff is probably the nastiest in the league,” Olson said, according to a post from Will Burchfield.
Statistically speaking, Olson has a point. Here are the numbers behind Detroit's dominant start on the mound:
ERA for Tigers starters through 25 games
Tarik Skubal: 2.83
Jack Flaherty: 2.63
Reese Olson: 3.29
Casey Mize: 2.22
Jackson Jobe: 2.70
Team ERA: 2.94, tops in AL.
Olson has the worst ERA on the team, and he just shut out one of the best teams in baseball. The Padres have been as good as anybody to start the season, and they had no answer for Olson.
Reese Olson himself is off to an impressive start this season, and statistically speaking, he has been the worst starting pitcher for the Tigers. He also has the highest WHIP at 1.24. When that's the highest WHIP for a team's entire starting rotation, you know they are a dominant group.
The Tigers are looking good to start the year, and the pitching staff is a big reason why. However, the offense has been carrying its weight more this season. That was the big issue for the Tigers last year as the starting rotation was also very good, but they didn't get a lot of run support. That hasn't been the case so far this year, and it's a welcome sight for Detroit fans.
Wednesday's win against the Padres was especially big for the Tigers as it clinched the series victory. The Padres came into the series with a 16-6 record, and even after losing two out of three against Detroit, they are still in first place in the loaded NL West, which has four teams with 14 or more wins.
The Padres are good, but they couldn't handle Reese Olson on Wednesday. Olson and the rest of this Tigers squad are playing some good baseball right now, and they have their sights set on a big season.
