ESPN lets Tigers fans down with incredibly lame 'bold' prediction for September

The 2024 Tigers are doing something that no Tigers team in the last 10 years have been able to do: they're giving fans a whole lot of hope. In mid-July, right before the All-Star break, they seemed to click into another gear after taking a set against the Dodgers, their third straight series win. Things calmed down a little after that, but then they were winning again with a series victory against the Yankees in Williamsport on Aug. 18.

Since then, the Tigers have taken three of four series from the White Sox, Angels, and Red Sox (the loss was against the Cubs, but Detroit avoided a sweep), and have pulled their playoff odds up marginally but still substantially higher from where they were just a few weeks ago. It's getting Tigers' fans hopes up a bit, but why shouldn't it? The Tigers are looking good and seem to be feeling good, and Detroit fans know how to stay realistic. If it happens, great. If it doesn't, then there's a lot to look forward to next year.

But did ESPN really have to burst everybody's bubble with possibly the lamest "bold prediction" we've ever heard?

Tim Keown said what we all already know/are thinking in a new "September bold predictions" roundup of ESPN writers, saying, "The Tigers -- yes, the Tigers -- will parlay their strength of schedule (No. 27) into a late and unexpected run at the last AL wild-card spot. They'll come up short, but there will be meaningful baseball in Detroit in the last week of September."

ESPN had a "bold" prediction for Tigers that's a no-brainer to Detroit fans

Maybe that's news to the rest of the league, who live in blissful ignorance of what goes on with the Tigers, but it's certainly not news to fans. The odds are still very much stacked against the Tigers, who are just a half-game back of the Red Sox and five games out of the last Wild Card spot through Monday's game. They'll have to keep winning at an astounding clip, and the Royals will have to keep losing.

But the Royals are already losing more than anyone expected at this point in the season; they're on a six-game losing streak and have only won five of their last 14 (same as the Red Sox), while the Tigers have won nine in that same stretch.

We could go back and forth for a long time about all the ways the Tigers could make this happen and all the ways they couldn't, but the most important takeaway is that these guys look really good right now. Whatever happens, they've given fans a lot to be excited about in 2025. Even if it doesn't happen this year, at least a Wild Card entry next season feels safe to put money on.

In the meantime, ESPN can certainly afford to get a little bit "bolder."