Detroit Tigers Are Huge Winners Despite Having an Off Day on Thursday
The Detroit Tigers are the hottest team in baseball right now.
They are riding a four-game winning streak, that includes a three-game sweep of their American League Central rivals the Kansas City Royals. They have won nine out of their last 11 games, continuing their push toward a playoff spot.
Two out of three games were won this past weekend against the Baltimore Orioles, who the Tigers are set to face for another three-game set beginning on Friday.
Despite their torrid pace, they were going to need a lot of help to complete this untimely climb in the standings. Another AL Central foe, the Minnesota Twins, was ahead of them in the standing as well.
That lead has now been erased.
Thursday afternoon while Detroit was resting and preparing for their series against the reeling Orioles, the Twins were playing against the Cleveland Guardians.
Minnesota’s cold streak continued, as they were defeated in 10 innings, 3-2. The game-winning hit was provided by Andres Gimenez, who knocked in Jose Ramirez and clinched a playoff berth for his team in the process.
The Twins offense has been frigid recently, playing a huge part in allowing the Tigers to climb back into the race. They managed only three hits on Thursday afternoon and all of their runs came courtesy of a Manuel Margot double, aided by an error by center fielder Lane Thomas.
It was the second straight game they lost in extra innings to the Twins, who now hold an identical 80-73 to Detroit. However, they still have a slight leg up in the standings because they won the head-to-head tiebreaker.
That is about the only positive thing Minnesota fans can hold onto, as everything else is in favor of the Tigers.
Timely hitting and lights-out pitching performances have become the norm for a Detroit team that has come out of nowhere over the last two months. This is a race that will be going right down to the end.
While playoff predictors and odds are still in favor of the Twins, that doesn’t take current form into account. For as hot as the Tigers are, Minnesota is nearly as cold.
Detroit has the edge down the stretch in strength of schedule as well. They face off against Baltimore, the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox. The Twins have to go to battle against the Boston Red Sox, Miami Marlins and Orioles.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.