Can Detroit Tigers Catch Fading Kansas City Royals in Playoff Race?
The Detroit Tigers were off on Tuesday, but they still managed to gain ground in the playoff race.
That's because the Kansas City Royals lost again, falling to the Cleveland Guardians after unraveling in the late innings. The slumping Royals have now lost seven in a row, opening the door for the Tigers (or someone else) to possibly catch them down the stretch.
At 75-65, Kansas City holds the third and final Wild Card spot in the American League. It has a 4.5-game lead after the next-closest teams -- the Royals and the Boston Red Sox.
Fortunately for Detroit, the Red Sox are also imploding. They've lost nine of their last 12 games and have a tough schedule remaining, so they seem unlikely to make a run.
The Tigers, on the other hand, have gotten hot at the right time and are playing their best baseball of the season. They've gone 15-6 over their last 21 games, closing the gap between them and Kansas City to 4.5 games with three and a half weeks to go.
Royals lose again.
— Jeff Riger (@riger1984) September 4, 2024
Tigers now 4.5 games out of the WC with 23 to play.
KC has lost 7 in a row.
Tigers play them 3 times along with 9 against the A’s, Rockies & White Sox.
Meanwhile KC plays the Twins, Yankees, Braves & 1 w/ Guardians
Seems more doable every day.
Doesn’t it?
Detroit's slate is also fairly easy, especially compared to the Royals'. Nine of the Tigers' remaining 23 games are against the Oakland A's, Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox -- all of whom have nothing to play for. They also have a three-game series in Kansas City that could be critical depending on how the next two weeks shake out.
Meanwhile, the Royals still have series against the Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves, which could make pulling away difficult. If Kansas City doesn't turn things around soon, it may continue to lose ground, especially if Detroit stays hot.
Meanwhile, the Tigers just need to keep doing what they're doing and keep chipping away one game at a time. They're playing great defense, their offense has been hot and their pitching has been tremendous. Their young players have been stepping up, and A.J. Hinch has been pushing all the right buttons in the dugout.
That said, the odds are still against Detroit. The Tigers have very little margin for error and lack critical depth after trading away Jack Flaherty and Mark Canha at the MLB Trade Deadline. As of Wednesday morning, Baseball-Reference gives Detroit a slim 13.7% chance of making the playoffs, while the Royals' odds are much higher at 81.2%.
Still, that's not nothing. For the first time since 2016, the Tigers are playing meaningful September baseball. It's a step in the right direction, regardless of whether they're still playing in October.
