Egregious Tigers error puts Detroit in perilous ALDS Game 3 situation

The Tigers' defense was supposed to be one of their strengths over the Mariners going into the two teams' first ever postseason meeting, but Detroit made evaluators look like they'd overestimated that in Game 3 of the ALDS.

Jack Flaherty got through two scoreless innings against Seattle but ran into trouble immediately in the third when he gave up a leadoff double to Victor Robles. JP Crawford followed with a single.

Robles hesitated toward third but got in safely, then hesitated to home as Riley Greene made a strong throw from left field. It was supposed to hit Zach McKinstry at third as the cutoff man to keep both of the runners where they were, but McKinstry just moved aside and let the ball breeze past him, leaving Dillon Dingler to try to scoop it at home.

Robles capitalized when the ball got away from Dingler and rolled well past home plate. Jack Flaherty was there to back it up, but Dingler couldn't get the tag down in time.

Crawford then came around to score on a Randy Arozarena single, giving the Mariners an early 2-0 lead.

Botched relay from Tigers' defense immediately leads to 2-0 lead for Mariners in ALDS Game 3

So, whose fault was that? The official scoring decision ruled it an E7 on Greene because it was his throw that got away from Dingler, but it was definitely McKinstry's fault — what was he doing stepping away from that ball instead of cutting it off? He probably trusted that Dingler could be able to grab it, but why not just make the routine play to be sure?

The Tigers are a team that has executed defensive fundamentals pretty well all season, but they couldn't make an everyday play in one of the highest-leverage moments. Mental lapses can be forgiven in May, but in October? Harder to look past.

The offense, meanwhile, was as free-swinging as ever against Mariners starter Logan Gilbert, a pitcher with one of the best strikeout rates in the league. By the time Seattle scored two, Detroit had only gotten two hits down themselves — both singles.

If Game 3 proves to be just as low-scoring as Games 1 and 2, that error could make all the difference, forcing the Tigers to fight for their lives in Game 4.