CLEVELAND -- After the Detroit Tigers' meek finish Thursday night at Progressive Field, much of the focus was understandably on the uncharacteristically shaky performance of ace Michael Fulmer.

But there's another pressing issue that has been lurking for the first 12 games of the season: Up and down the lineup, the Tigers just aren't hitting.

The Tigers went 20-for-128 (.156) in Cleveland, scoring just five runs in four games. Overall, they are ranked 29th in the league in batting average (.207), on-base percentage (.291) and slugging percentage (.306).

The only team worse than the Tigers in the first two categories, oddly, is Cleveland, who just whomped them in a four-game sweep.

"You've got to play good baseball to beat good teams," Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. "That's why (Cleveland) is in the playoffs every year. This was a good learning experience for us. We'll get better."

The Indians bats started to awaken this week, and their example shows the danger of making rash judgements early in the season.

The Tigers are 29th in batting average on balls on play (BABIP), which suggests bad luck is at least part of the factor. The Indians, once again, are last by a long margin, even after getting 15 hits Thursday.

Tigers shortstop Jose Iglesias is hitting just .057 (2-for-35), but he also has the lowest BABIP among all qualified players in baseball. He has good company. Players like Gary Sanchez, Jose Ramirez and Carlos Santana also have sub-.100 BABIPs early in the season.

The lack of power, however, is more surprising for a lineup that has traditionally been filled with sluggers.

Of the 378 home runs hit in baseball so far this year, the Tigers have contributed only three to the total. That's astonishingly low and is, of course, dead last in the league.

A more positive sign? The Tigers are tied for fourth in doubles (26), offering hope that some of them will turn into home runs when the weather starts to warm up.

Tigers second baseman Dixon Machado has seven doubles (out of 10 base hits) and is tied for the MLB lead in the category with Xander Bogaerts, Eric Hosmer and A.J. Pollock.

Comerica Park can eat up some home runs in its big outfield, but many of the Tigers will still be glad to get home for the 10-game homestand that begins Friday night against the New York Yankees.

In addition to Iglesias, Miguel Cabrera (4-for-23 with four singles) and James McCann (1-for-18) both had forgettable road trips.

Only Leonys Martin (six hits in the last two games) and Nicholas Castellanos (.286 with two doubles and two triples) are hitting above .250 on the season.

Gardenhire said he didn't sense the Tigers were demoralized in Cleveland.

"Tonight we got behind early but they didn't quit in the dugout. They kept rooting for each other, they kept trying to get hits, kept putting guys on base," he said after Thursday's game.

"If we keep doing that, we're going to be fine. These guys have some courage. I know that. I expect that out of them and they expect that out of themselves. Hopefully we continue to do that, win lose or draw. If we do, we'll win enough games."