How Tigers' playoff standing has been completely flipped on its head

The Detroit Tigers have gone cold at a deeply perilous time. They were swept at home by the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday, and have now lost six of their last seven. Is Detroit about to completely collapse down the stretch? It’s been a shocking week or two for a team that was viewed as the cream of the American League earlier in the season.

The remaining eight games won’t be easy for the Tigers as they look to get back on track. After a three-game home set against the Atlanta Braves (starting Friday), Detroit will travel to Cleveland for a three-game series against the Guardians. Then, they'll have to close out their season at Fenway Park against a Boston Red Sox team that will likely be fighting for its own playoff life up until the bitter end.

Are the Tigers in some serious trouble? 

Mapping out potential playoff situations for the Detroit Tigers

Don’t panic, Detroit fans, but the Tigers still haven’t clinched a playoff berth, nor have they locked up the AL Central division — not by a long shot. It goes without saying that the Tigers need to take care of business against the Braves and win two out of three, but the Cleveland series will be the big one.

The worst-case scenario for Detroit would be another series loss or sweep at the hands of the Guardians, which — paired with Cleveland winning most of its other remaining games — would likely lead to the Tigers missing out on the division crown.

The crazy part about that scenario is that Detroit would then be in danger of missing the playoffs entirely if they failed to win a game or two (at least) at Fenway.

Now, let’s assume that Detroit gets its act together and does, in fact, win the AL Central. That’s the best outcome, of course, but it also doesn’t guarantee that the Tigers will snag the No. 2 seed in the AL playoff picture. The Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners are in a fierce battle for the AL West crown, and either of those teams could end up with a superior record to Detroit. Entering Friday, only one game separated all of these clubs.

If the Tigers do end up as the No. 2 seed, they’d be matched up in the ALDS with the winner of the No. 3 seed vs. No. 6 seed Wild Card series. That would presumably be the winner of the AL West (Astros or Mariners) against probably either the Red Sox or Guardians.

On the other hand, if the Tigers fell to the No. 3 seed, they'd have to get through that very same Wild Card series before playing either Houston or Seattle in the ALDS. (Don’t rule out the New York Yankees as a potential Wild Card matchup, either, by the way.)

All in all, the Tigers absolutely must avoid the Wild Card altogether, something that seemed like a foregone conclusion until recently. Buckle up — it's about to be a crazy nine days of baseball.