St. Petersburg, Fla. — The Tigers offense, for all the new players, new coaching, new systems and new approaches, remains, through the first three games at least, as stuck and stalled as it ever was last season.
Shut out in the season opener and managing just two runs on Saturday, the Tigers were held without a hit for six innings by left-hander Jeffrey Springs and ended up getting swept out of Tropicana Field by the Rays Sunday, 5-1.
They start a season 0-3 for the first time since 2018.
Springs, who struck out a career-high 12, was at 81 pitches through six innings and Rays manager Kevin Cash went to his bullpen.