Tigers' baffling plunge has ignited a discourse fans don't want to engage in

Reese Olson was cruising through the first 5 1/3 innings of his Thursday start against the Blue Jays, but after his fourth strikeout of the day at the top of the sixth, things got ugly. George Springer walked, then Vladimir Guerrero Jr. doubled to bring him in and tie the game. Four more runs would score on back-to-back homers by the end of the inning.

Dietrich Enns gave up four more runs, then newly recalled reliever Geoff Hartlieb gave up two more, while Blue Jays starter Eric Lauer lasted eight innings and only gave up a single run on a homer by Jahmai Jones. The Tigers tacked on some more off reliever Chad Green in the bottom of the ninth, but there was no miraculous comeback. Detroit lost 11-4.

It was the Tigers' ninth loss in their last 10 games, and both the team and its fans are trying to wrap their heads around this devastating plummet that dates back before the All-Star Game.

It's gotten some fans asking the worst possible question: Could the Tigers actually spoil their eight-game lead in the AL Central?

Tigers fans don't want to go down the rabbit hole thinking about 'what ifs' during losing streak

The Guardians have already covered a horrifying amount of ground within the last few weeks alone. Right before the All-Star break, the Tigers had an 11.5-game lead, but just the Tuesday before, they peaked at 14 games. After Thursday's game, it's been cut down even more to eight. Cleveland has won seven of their last 10, and the Tigers have had the worst last 10 games of anyone in MLB.

The first team in baseball to 60 wins now owns the third-best record behind the Blue Jays and Astros, and the Brewers are now the owners of the best record overall.

Nothing is going right for Detroit. The starters (except Tarik Skubal are flailing), and the offense could barely eke out a win during Skubal's last start. All of three hitters are producing right now; Riley Greene was benched on Thursday for whiffing too much; and there are maybe two reliable relievers in the bullpen.

The trade deadline might not offer as much relief as fans would've hoped either. It's increasingly unlikely the Tigers pay top dollar for Eugenio Suárez (though a trade for Pirates closer David Bednar does still seem realistic). The front office is betting on the guys they already have starting to click again, and fans can only pray that they do.