Not all win-loss records are created equal. Take the Detroit Tigers, for instance. Our Tigers have battled injuries, a struggling offense, and... well, more injuries all season long, but have clawed their way to an 18-20 record after 38 games. Though they are missing 80 percent of their projected Opening Day rotation, they find themselves within 2 1⁄2 games of the AL Wild Card.
The underlying statistics tell a different story, however. The Tigers have been outscored by 49 runs this year, the third-worst total in baseball. Their pythagorean expected win-loss record — a projected record based on runs scored and allowed — is just 14-24, which would put them just barely ahead of last-place Kansas City in the AL Central standings.