DETROIT -- Phillies manager Pete Mackanin has dubbed the Tigers as "the most dangerous lineup."
Rookie Tommy Joseph has also taken notice of the Tigers' firepower, and he's looking to take something away from Detroit's success as he adjusts to life in the Majors.
The 24-year-old said he grew up watching a lot of the hitters on Detroit, which has the second-best batting average (.267) in the American League. Joseph thinks it's good to study the Tigers.
"They're tough hitters, tough competitors. You sit there and watch them, and they're having a blast while they're playing, too," Joseph said. "I think it's good for us, too, to be able to take a little bit from playing them, getting the opportunity to watch and see how much fun they're having while they're playing well, and see what they're doing right. So it's something to learn from."
Joseph went 1-for-3 Tuesday night, but he narrowly missed two more hits, lining out sharply twice. He hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning that plated the Phillies' lone run in a 3-1 loss.
He's hitting .304 in eight games since joining the club. Even though Philadelphia has dropped four of its past five games, Joseph said the team is gaining confidence after starting the season on a hot streak.
"Anytime you win, it's going to give you confidence, anytime you can put a few together like we did, it's going to give you even more confidence," he said. "So I think right now, Detroit's playing really good baseball, so with this day game today, we're going to try and take one from them. We definitely have a lot of confidence in here. I don't think we doubt each other, by any means. Just fight a little harder and get those key timely hits."
Joseph said he has been working hard to try to keep the Phillies' turnaround season going on the right path.
"I've only been here for a week, but throughout that week, you can tell with these guys, they want it bad," he said. "And I'm very happy to be a part of it, so I'm looking forward to continuing to work hard."