Browsing: Detroit

2025 season: 87-75, second in AL Central, eliminated in ALDS

With the Tigers eliminated by the Mariners in Game 5 of the ALDS, let’s take a look at the season that was in Detroit, the questions the team must address this winter and the early outlook for next year.

Advertisement

Things that went right

The good news in Detroit starts with Tarik Skubal, the front-runner to win a second consecutive Cy Young Award this year. The lefty led the majors in ERA (2.21) and WHIP (0.89), and since coming off the IL in the middle of the 2023 season, he has logged a ridiculous stat line, with a 2.39 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 11.0 K/9. In 2025, he allowed zero runs in 12 of his 31 starts and recorded a double-digit strikeout total on 10 occasions. Naming Skubal the American League starter for the 2025 All-Star Game was an easy call for AL manager Aaron Boone, and having Skubal anchor the Tigers†rotation took substantial stress off the bullpen and other starters. Case in point: He recorded a career-high 14 strikeouts in Detroitâ€s Game 1 wild-card win and struck out 13 in his team’s ALDS Game 5 loss.

Speaking of the bullpen, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch settled on a reliable pair to finish games in Will Vest and Kyle Finnegan. Although he wasnâ€t treated as a full-time closer, Vest easily led the team with 23 saves and also earned six wins while logging strong ratios (3.01 ERA, 1.21 WHIP). Finnegan arrived from Washington at the trade deadline and picked up four saves while recording a 1.50 ERA and a 0.72 WHIP.

Advertisement

The lineup was productive through a group effort, ranking 11th in runs scored despite not having a regular contributor with an OPS over .806. Riley Greene was the offensive anchor, hitting a career-high 36 home runs and finishing fourth in baseball with 111 RBI, though he cooled off significantly in the second half. Against right-handers, he was joined in the heart of the lineup by Kerry Carpenter, who needed just 433 at-bats to accumulate 26 home runs.

Spencer Torkelson was the teamâ€s comeback player, as he rebounded from a miserable 2024 to rank second on the club in homers (31) and RBI (78). Dillon Dingler deserves mention, as he took hold of the No. 1 catcher role, was solid at the dish (.752 OPS) and ranked fourth among catchers with a +12 fielding run value, per Statcast. Finally, Zach McKinstry was an underrated contributor. He started games at six different positions, produced a career-best .771 OPS and led the team with 19 steals.

Things that went wrong

The Tigers†second-half collapse will be remembered for a long time. After all, Detroit owned a 15.5-game division lead on July 8 and still had a 12.5-game advantage on Aug. 25. But then a miserable stretch, in which the Tigers went 1-11 from Sept. 11-24, including five losses to Cleveland, paved the way for the Guardians to win the AL Central. Detroit was rarely competitive during that 12-game span, outscored by 41 runs. And while the Tigers still made the playoffs and bounced back to defeat Cleveland in the wild-card round, they ultimately ran out of steam (and offense and pitching) against the Mariners in a 15-inning loss in Game 5 of the ALDS.

Advertisement

There were a few letdowns on a pitching staff that wouldâ€ve been average at best if not for the impact of Skubal every five games. Jackson Jobe was one of baseballâ€s most hyped prospects at the outset of the season. Unfortunately, he logged mediocre ratios (4.22 ERA, 1.49 WHIP) across 10 starts before undergoing Tommy John surgery in June. He will likely miss all of next season. Chris Paddack was acquired at the trade deadline to eat innings at the back of the rotation; he let his new team down by posting a 6.32 ERA. Jack Flaherty deserves credit for making 31 starts, but he was disappointing as well, as his ERA rose by 1.47 from his 2024 mark.

Most Tigers met expectations offensively, with Trey Sweeney being the most obvious exception. His .548 OPS was the second-lowest mark of any player who recorded at least 300 plate appearances. And he didnâ€t make up for his offensive shortcomings in the field, as his defense at shortstop was no better than average. Of course, timing is everything, and many key Tigers slumped when the games mattered most in September. Although they were effective overall, Greene, Dingler, Colt Keith and Javier Baez all struggled at the plate down the stretch, and the team ranked 24th in baseball with a .672 OPS in September. That said, it’s worth noting that Baez rebounded with a strong postseason, batting 10-for-32 across eight games.

[Get more Detroit news: Tigers team feed]

Offseason outlook

Despite their disappointing second half to 2025, the Tigers are an ascending team that has finally finished a lengthy rebuild. Teams in that position typically have most of their key players under contract for the following year, and the Tigers are no exception.

Advertisement

Dingler will be the teamâ€s No. 1 catcher for several years, which is great news for Detroit pitchers. Torkelson and Colt Keith will return to hold down the corner infield spots, though Keith could slide from the hot corner to second base if the team needs a replacement for pending free agent Gleyber Torres. Detroit’s front office will need to decide if Sweeney is the answer at shortstop, and McKinstry will be ready to cover any position.

Beyond Greene in left field, there are plenty of decisions to be made among the outfield options. Javier Báez has two more years on a lucrative contract. He wasnâ€t terrific in 2025 but bounced back well enough from two miserable seasons to continue playing regularly between center field, shortstop and third base. Wenceel Pérez is another young player who had a productive season. He can play center or right and will try to show in spring training that heâ€s a lineup regular rather than a fourth outfielder. Matt Vierling and Parker Meadows are also in the mix; both were expected to log heavy workloads in 2025, but they instead suffered through ineffective, injury-impacted seasons.

The rotation is in good shape for 2026, though the organization might want to start looking farther down the road. Skubal will be supported by Flaherty and Casey Mize for one more year, but all three hurlers are pending free agents after next season, so some pivotal decisions are on the horizon. Convincing Skubal to sign his name on a long-term contract will be critical for an organization that is flush with young talent but lacks other superstars in their prime.

Advertisement

Elsewhere in the rotation, Reese Olsonâ€s regular season ended in late July due to a shoulder strain, but he should be ready for spring training and might be the teamâ€s second-best starter. The final rotation spot will be hotly contested by a few young arms, including Sawyer Gipson-Long, Keider Montero and Troy Melton. José Urquidy could be in the mix as well, as the team holds a $4 million club option on the 30-year-old who is recovering from 2024 Tommy John surgery.

Vest will return to anchor the bullpen, but Finnegan and Tommy Kahnle are headed to free agency. Still, there are some key members under contract for 2026, including Tyler Holton, Brenan Hanifee, Chase Lee and Brant Hurter. As good as Vest has been, acquiring an experienced closer should be an offseason consideration for Detroit.

Prospects on the horizon

Kevin McGonigle has shot up prospect rankings to the point that he has a case to be considered the No. 1 prospect in baseball. The 21-year-old has an absurd hit tool, which allowed him to log a .408 OBP and a .991 OPS while shooting through three minor-league levels this year. McGonigle finished the campaign in Double-A but could jump straight to the majors or spend a brief period in Triple-A next year. A natural shortstop, he could replace Sweeney or slide over to fill the vacancy at second base.

Advertisement

The organization has three other elite prospects who will debut late in 2026 or in ‘27. The closest one might be outfielder Max Clark, who was the third overall pick of the 2023 MLB Draft and is currently McGonigleâ€s teammate in Double-A. Clark has plus speed, improving power and an incredible ability to control the strike zone. Josue Briceño is also at Double-A, though he has yet to dominate that level to the same degree as McGonigle and Clark. Briceño can play catcher or first base, which opens possibilities for him to join the roster late next season. The final name to remember is Bryce Rainer, who was the teamâ€s first-round pick in 2024 and is at least a year behind the others.

Melton, mentioned above, is the teamâ€s best pitching prospect. In fact, he is the only Tigers prospect who projects to make a real impact on the 2026 rotation or bullpen. Melton could open 2026 in a swingman role before becoming a full-time starter. He will be especially valuable if the team needs to replace multiple starters going into 2027.

Goals for 2026

Although Tigers fans were undoubtedly frustrated by the teamâ€s decline in the second half and exit in the ALDS, this is a team that should be a contender for several years. The next step for president of baseball operations Scott Harris and general manager Jeff Greenberg is to determine the best way to put the finishing touches on this roster to make the Tigers favorites in October series against the best teams in the American League.

Advertisement

Given the volume of elite hitting prospects on the way, finding short-term solutions to vacant positions is likely a good goal. Of course, elite players arenâ€t always going to take short-term contracts, but the club found a good fit this year with Torres. As for major moves, those would be best made with pitchers, given that the organization has little help on the horizon on that front. Adding an elite starter to pair with Skubal would take the rotation from solid to great, and a similar impact could be made by adding an elite closer to the bullpen.

The Tigers†late-season collapse not only led to frustration within the organization and fan base but also created a sense of urgency to add to the roster this offseason. The front office was mostly quiet at the July trade deadline, which was arguably one of the prime reasons the team fell short of expectations. Despite the looming arrival of some talented prospects, Tigers fans will hope that some impact veterans are added over the winter, especially with Skubalâ€s free agency looming in a year.

Fantasy focus

Skubal will be the first pitcher off the board in nearly every 2026 draft. Depending on the scoring system, he could be a top-five pick in some leagues. There will be a bit of a wait before a second Detroit player is selected, which will happen when Greene has his name called in the range of Round 4-5.

Advertisement

There are a handful of Tigers who will be coveted middle-round picks, including Torkelson, Carpenter, Flaherty and whoever is expected to open the season as the teamâ€s closer. McGonigle could skyrocket up draft boards if he has a strong spring, and it wouldnâ€t be surprising to see him selected among the top 100 picks in some leagues.

Olson, Mize and Keith will be selected in the second half of drafts, as will Torres, whether he returns to the Tigers or departs for another team.

Source link

SEATTLE — In his first playoff game as a big league manager, Dan Wilson stuck with his starter and got stung.

Less than 24 hours later, he found himself right back in the same situation. This time, the script had a different ending, in what ended up as a 3-2 Mariners win over the Tigers on Sunday to level the American League Division Series at one game apiece.

“Itâ€s almost deja vu all over again,†the Mariners skipper quipped after it was all said and done.

For the second straight night, the Mariners took a 1-0 lead on a home run in the bottom of the fourth inning. For the second straight night, Seattleâ€s starter danced around traffic for four frames before running into another jam with two outs and Detroitâ€s Kerry Carpenter — who slugged 23 of his 26 regular-season home runs against right-handers — due up in the fifth. For the second straight night, Gabe Speier was ready and warm in the Seattle bullpen.

Saturday, Wilson opted to keep George Kirby in the game to finish the frame, and Carpenter made him pay with a two-run homer. Sunday, with runners on the corners, he pressed the other button.

“They just called down and said ‘Get ready,†and I assumed it was for Carpenter,†Speier said. “Thatâ€s it. When they tell me to get ready, I just go.â€

So with Luis Castillo on 85 pitches and only one hit allowed, Wilson gave him the quick hook. Speier entered, jumped ahead 0-2 on back-to-back sinkers and a pitch later blew a 96.1 mph four-seamer straight past Carpenterâ€s bat to get the Mariners back in the dugout.

“Gabe came in … [and] just continued to pound the zone as he does and really attack, and to be able to do it in that situation again, get us back in the dugout, keep that lead,†Wilson said.

Speier said that most of his direction for how his usage will go on any given night comes early in the game, from bullpen coach Tony Arnerich. Sunday, the message was simple: Be ready early.

The Tigers rolled with the same lineup as they had in Game 1, with Carpenter and Riley Greene as back-to-back lefties in the second and third slots, respectively. Lefty Colt Keith hit fifth; Saturday, as soon as a left-hander entered the game to pitch, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch pulled him for a righty.

There was some thought that had Wilson gone to Speier on Saturday, it would have forced Hinch to pull his No. 2 hitter midway through the game. Sunday, that proved to be false hope, but it worked out anyway. Carpenter came up once more — against Matt Brash — and struck out looking.

“I chose to keep Carp in the game for the fact that we had so much game left, rather than make that move,†Hinch said. “… I thought he had some good swings. But obviously Speier got him tonight.â€

There was a ton of game left, indeed, and while the move to Speier worked perfectly in the short term, it led to a new quandary for Wilson: Twelve more outs to cover in a must-win game with none of his high-leverage arms fresh, after all had been used in Saturdayâ€s 11-inning gut punch of a loss.

It wouldnâ€t be a problem.

Speier had started the train of back-to-backs, and pushed it to full-speed by going back out for another inning of work in the sixth, striking out Green and retiring Spencer Torkelson and pinch-hitter Wenceel Pérez for his second four-out night in a row.

“I feel good,†Speier said. “A little sore today, but the adrenaline, the atmosphere, it puts it in the back of your mind and lets you go out and compete.â€

From there, Wilson rolled out the rest of his top guys. Eduard Bazardo, whose three-pitch workload Saturday was the lightest of the groupâ€s, threw 19 in the seventh. Brash had the toughest time, though a crucial error at first by Josh Naylor made it so only one of the two runs he allowed was earned. But because of Julio Rodríguezâ€s heroics in the very next frame, he ended up earning the win.

Andrés Muñoz, a day after pitching two full innings for the first time in six years, slammed the door in the ninth to earn his first career postseason save.

Now, the Mariners are headed to Detroit in a tied series, despite only getting a combined 9 2/3 innings from their starters.

“All year, the bullpen has been phenomenal, and that gives us a lot more confidence,†Castillo said, via translator Freddy Llanos. “We know that when we exit the game, these guys are going to do a great job, come out and finish the game for us.â€

Source link

Sep 27, 2025, 07:06 PM ET

BOSTON — Jahmai Jones hit a two-run single in the fifth inning, and the Detroit Tigers hung on to defeat the Boston Red Sox 2-1 on Saturday, clinching a spot in the American League playoffs for the second consecutive season.

Less than 24 hours after the Red Sox sealed their postseason berth, the Tigers claimed at least a wild card spot and pushed the Houston Astros closer to elimination. Detroit still could win the AL Central title but would need help from Texas, which played Cleveland on Saturday night.

Keider Montero and four relievers held Boston to one run and seven hits. Tyler Holton (6-5) got four outs for the victory. Will Vest pitched the ninth for his 23rd save.

Editor’s Picks

  • blank

“Kind of a crazy ride, but it’s well worth it,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told his team in the clubhouse Saturday night during the celebration. “We went up, we went down, we went up again.”

The Tigers (87-74) led the division by as many as 14 games in July and still held a 9½-game lead on Sept. 11 before losses in 12 out of 14 games dropped them into a tie with Cleveland (86-74). The Guardians, who were in fourth place and 15½ games back on July 7, are 17-4 since Sept. 5 and hold the tiebreaker against Detroit.

Detroit has ace Tarik Skubal (13-6) lined up to pitch in Sunday’s regular-season finale, but the Tigers would love to save him for the postseason opener.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source link

Red Wings defender John Leonard scores twice while defensive miscues from rest of Detroit defense leads to blown two-goal lead in 3-2 loss to Penguins.

The Detroit Red Wings fell short on Thursday as they blew a 2-0 lead, eventually losing 3-2 to the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was a feisty matchup between two age old rivals as the two teams combined for 32 penalty minutes including a rare preseason brawl between Pittsburgh’s Connor Dewar and Detroit’s Carson Bantle. The Red Wings look to rebound with their third game in three days on Saturday when taking on the Buffalo Sabres once again.

The story of their win on Thursday was the offense and the preview of the Red Wings’ potential third line for the season with Andrew Copp, Mason Appleton and Michael Rasmussen. Detroit’s defense was instead the story of their matchup Friday versus the Penguins as defender John Leonard was responsible for both of the Red Wings’ goals.

The 27-year-old Massachusetts native also had his rough moments like a roughing penalty in the second and a blown coverage on a scoring chance by the Penguins in their end. This was the overarching story for the Red Wings backend on Friday as defensive lapses lead to all three of the Penguins goals.

Justin Holl struggled defensively, failing to track a Penguins forward who broke free for a power-play breakaway. He also made poor decisions moving the puck in the second period, one of which led directly to a Penguins zone entry and another scoring chance. Antti Tuomisto had his share of trouble as well, losing track of a Penguins forward who slipped behind him for a dangerous opportunity that goaltender John Gibson had to stop.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.

Erik Gustafsson also had a tough night, committing a costly turnover in his own zone after being stripped of the puck, which led to yet another Penguins chance. On a Detroit power play, both Gustafsson and Holl were beaten by a streaking Penguins forward, who cut through them for a solo chance on net. Gustafsson also had difficulty clearing the front of the net, allowing multiple second-chance opportunities that forced Gibson to come up big.

One of the few bright spots was Alexandre Doucet, who assisted on Leonard’s first goal with a nice pass intercept and pushing the puck up to Leonard for a breakaway chance.

The Detroit defense will look to regroup on Saturday when deploying a more veteran-focused group versus the Sabres with Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Jacob Benard-Docker, Ben Chiarot and Albert Johansson.

Red Wings Play Third Preseason Game in Three Days Saturday on the Road Against Sabres
Red Wings Play Third Preseason Game in Three Days Saturday on the Road Against Sabres
The Red Wings play their third preseason game in three days when taking on the Buffalo Sabres.

Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!

Source link

CLEVELAND — It has taken an extraordinary and unlikely sequence of events over multiple months for the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians to be tied for the AL Central lead with five games left to play. Itâ€s only fitting, then, that the game that secured the deadlock atop the division — Clevelandâ€s dramatic, 5-2 victory over Detroit on Tuesday at Progressive Field — featured one of the more preposterous half-innings imaginable, the ultimate display of baseball randomness and absurdity.

Entering the bottom of the sixth inning, Tarik Skubal, as usual, was in control. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner was tasked with reversing the misfortunes of a Tigers team that had seen its once-sturdy lead atop the AL Central completely evaporate over the past month. And for five innings against the rival Guardians — whose spectacularly hot stretch in September combined with Detroitâ€s skid to culminate in an unexpected division race — Skubal exhibited his trademark ace behavior.

Advertisement

The four-seam fastball was humming, climbing as high as 101 mph. The sinker was exploding into the strike zone at unhittable angles. The slider and knuckle-curve were breaking sharply. And, of course, the changeup was giving hitters fits. When Skubal struck out David Fry with a 99.6 mph heater to end the fourth, he confidently skipped off the mound back toward the dugout, certain another masterpiece was in progress. Cleveland mustered two baserunners in the fifth, but Skubal squashed the threat, finishing the frame with his pitch count at just 74.

[Get more Detroit news: Tigers team feed]

The Tigers had afforded Skubal a two-run lead thanks to a Wenceel Perez RBI double in the third and a Riley Greene solo home run in the sixth. Given how Skubal was throwing, those two runs appeared to be a rather comfortable cushion on which Detroit could rely en route to a victory that would snap its six-game losing streak.

But the Guardians had other plans.

With Skubal dialed in, fighting fire with fire was a foolâ€s errand, especially given Clevelandâ€s dearth of offensive thump; the Guardians rank 28th in MLB in slugging percentage, 30th in barrel rate, 30th in hard-hit rate and 30th in average exit velocity. Instead, Steven Kwan led off the sixth with a picturesque bunt on the first pitch from Skubal, racing to first with hopes of sparking a rally.

Advertisement

Before the packed Progressive Field crowd of nearly 30,000 could quiet down after Kwanâ€s successful gambit, No. 2 hitter Angel Martínez followed with another bunt on the first pitch of his showdown with Skubal. The ball trickled down the first-base line with delicate precision, forcing Skubal to charge and either attempt to make a difficult play or pocket the ball and yield another baserunner with no outs and José Ramírez coming up.

Skubal opted for the former, but in unthinkable fashion: Facing home plate, he reached down, grabbed the ball and flipped it through his legs toward first, as if he were hiking a football. The ball sailed over first baseman Spencer Torkelsonâ€s head and into foul territory, allowing Kwan to reach third base and Martínez to coast into second.

“He was in a tough position as a left-handed pitcher to make that play in general and didn’t want to wheel and throw it down the line,†Tigers manager AJ Hinch explained postgame. “So instead, he chose to do the emergency flip, which is not something that is easy to do, and it obviously didn’t produce a good play.â€

Advertisement

Skubal echoed that sentiment, referring to the Martínez ball as an “impossible play†while reiterating his intention to prevent a second consecutive bunt hit at all costs. He also revealed that the between-the-legs toss was something heâ€d tried before: “Yeah, in Miami, actually,†he said. “Same result.â€

Indeed, Skubal attempted a near carbon-copy of the play two years ago against the Marlins, when Jon Berti chopped a ball down the first-base line. The result was nearly identical, but the circumstances couldnâ€t have been more different. That was in the second inning of a July contest on a Sunday afternoon in Miami. Skubal wasnâ€t Skubal yet, and the Tigers were 47-59. Trying something like that then? Fine.

But on Tuesday, in the biggest game of the season thus far, with Guardians players and their fans desperate for any ounce of momentum? That was a poor choice.

“That is an example of an uncharacteristic mistake piling up on us at the worst time,†Hinch said.

Advertisement

Of course, this was an exceptionally challenging play for Skubal; expecting him to have recorded an out without trouble feels unfair. That said, his decision to uncork a low-probability toss rather than hold on to the ball and keep Kwan and Martínez at first and second proved extremely costly.

And so, with the bunts having spiked the volume in the venue, up came Ramírez to try to cash in. As Clevelandâ€s top slugging threat, Ramírez was the one Guardian Skubal didnâ€t need to worry about attempting a bunt. But baseball has a funny way of surprising you. When Ramírez swung hard at a 99.9-mph fastball with two strikes, the result was roughly the same as the two bunts that preceded it: a weak roller up the third-base line, poorly struck with a harmless exit velocity of 65.5 mph, and too slow for third baseman Zach McKinstry to corral and make a play. Kwan scampered home for Clevelandâ€s first run. Martínez advanced to third.

The unexpected rally was far from over. But the game took a scary turn before things continued. With still no outs and runners on the corners, Fry came up to the plate. Sticking with the theme of the inning, he squared around to attempt to bunt in hopes of garnering another defensive gaffe. But Skubalâ€s 99.1-mph fastball ran up and in, hitting Fry squarely in the nose and sending him to the ground.

Advertisement

Although it was ruled a foul ball, replay fairly clearly showed that the pitch didnâ€t graze Fryâ€s bat at all, instead making flush contact with his face — a terrifying sequence considering the velocity. The crowd went silent, and players on both teams, including Skubal, were visibly shaken. Thankfully, Fry was able to rise to his feet and get on the cart to be transported to a nearby hospital, where he is expected to remain overnight as he undergoes testing.

“I’ve already reached out to him,†Skubal said afterward. “I look forward to, hopefully at some point tonight or tomorrow morning, getting a text from him and making sure he’s all good. The health of him is more important than a baseball game.”

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said postgame that Fry stayed conscious the whole time and the team would provide an update as soon as possible on Wednesday.

Advertisement

Such a harrowing injury scare is difficult to move past, but the high-stakes timing forced the two teams to reengage immediately — and it took just one pitch for the chaos to resume. Rookie George Valera replaced Fry in the batterâ€s box with a 2-2 count, and Skubalâ€s first pitch to the new batter was a wayward changeup that got past catcher Dillon Dingler and allowed Martínez to score the tying run, with Ramírez advancing to second.

Valera eventually struck out, but then, while facing Gabriel Arias, Skubal balked for just the second time in his career, enabling Ramírez to move to third, still with one out. He then scored easily when Arias tapped one softly to first base, marking Clevelandâ€s third run of the inning and a lead it wouldnâ€t relinquish.

Before Tuesdayâ€s sixth inning, Skubal had allowed just one run in 27 innings against the Guardians this season, with 37 strikeouts and just five walks. Then, over the span of five plate appearances — with an average exit velocity of 52.8 mph and without a single ball leaving the infield, except for the one Skubal sailed himself — the Guardians conjured three runs. Because of course they did.

Advertisement

“They showed that the team that made the most contact got rewarded for it, even if it wasn’t great contact,†Hinch said. “They did a good job with that.”

To his point, Detroitâ€s disastrous inning wouldnâ€t have loomed quite as large had the Tigers been more productive offensively. But Cleveland starter Gavin Williams had a heck of a night himself, matching a career high with 12 strikeouts over six solid innings of work. Detroit struck out 19 times total Tuesday, the franchiseâ€s most in a nine-inning game since the 2019 club — a team that would go on to lose 114 games — matched the ignominious feat on two occasions.

This Tigers team will not lose 114 games. In fact, this Tigers team might still win the AL Central, despite an unfathomably bad run of play that has them at risk of making history for all the wrong reasons. With the victory Tuesday, Cleveland clinched the season series over Detroit, giving the Guards a critical tiebreaker should the two teams finish with the same record after 162. But thereâ€s still ample opportunity for the Tigers to avoid that fate and fight their way back into enviable playoff position.

Advertisement

“We got to flush today’s game and then get ready to play again tomorrow. The team across the way doesn’t feel bad for us, so there’s no reason we should feel bad for ourselves,†Skubal said. “That opportunity to come out there and win tomorrow and win a series — I think that’s what really matters.â€

“We have to get to tomorrow and get to a better result,†Hinch said. “Everybody knows. There’s no hiding behind anything other than showing up ready to play.â€

Source link