Detroit – These are not numbers commonly tied to Miguel Cabrera.
July, particularly, has been a nightmare for a man for years regarded as one of baseball’s elite hitters: .208 batting average in 14 games, .229 slugging percentage, .551 OPS.
His overall 2016 season has been strong, but hardly remarkable, at least compared with his gaudy past: .287 batting average, 18 home runs, a mere 17 doubles, and an .859 OPS.
“He’s just not swinging the bat well,” said Tigers manager Brad Ausmus, when asked about Cabrera during a morning briefing ahead of Wednesday’s 1:07 game against the Twins at Comerica Park.