Tigers' all-around meltdown vs Twins felt like the final nail in the coffin of their season

Was anyone out there still keeping the faith that the Tigers' season wasn't fully over? Kudos for the optimism, but you were almost certainly in the minority.

Argubably, the Tigers' best chance to drag themselves out of their August hole was that six-game stretch Guardians and White Sox. They went 2-6. But then, maybe if they could just find a way to eke out a couple of series wins from the below-.500 Pirates and Royals? They went 1-6.

Their odds to make the postseason were at 1.5% going into their opener against the Twins. After losing, they fell to 0.7%. After Tuesday night, after not only losing but taking a beating even worse than they did in that first game, they're down to 0.4%.

The Tigers are playing like dead men walking. On Tuesday, there was more bad pitching, more bad defense, and a whole lot of nothing from the offense.

Detroit struck first with an RBI groundout in Riley Greene's first game since coming off the IL, but Kody Clemens immediately matched it with a solo homer. By the time things were blessedly over, it was 15-2, Minnesota.

Tigers suffer second rout in two games as postseason hopes dwindle down to almost nothing

Troy Melton let things unravel by the fifth, when he gave up three runs with absolutely no help at all from Dillon Dingler. The Tigers had Trevor Larnach caught in a rundown between third and home, but a wild throw to third by Dingler to third allowed two runs to score. Luke Keaschall doubled to make it 4-1.

By that point, Tigers fans knew it was over. They'd only scored more than one run twice in their last seven games, and didn't score more than four.

For some reason, AJ Hinch left Melton on the mound. In a bottom sixth that felt like it lasted four hours, Josh Bell singled and Larnach was hit by a pitch. Royce Lewis homered to bring them all home. Kyle Finnegan came in and gave up five runs while recording a single out. Beau Brieske gave up two more. All told, three Tigers pitchers faced 15 Twins batters in one inning.

To add insult to injury, the Twins scored one more in the eighth.

The Tigers tend to be a "flush it and move on" squad. All of them have to be, really, but the Tigers in particular have never been quick to admit it when they're struggling, and very few do only when it's well in the rearview.

This one is going to be hard to flush and move on from. These Tigers aren't the same Tigers who beat 0.5% odds in 2024. They're a squad that's just trying to drag themselves to the finish line.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow