Detroit Tigers Updated Odds, Scenarios To Make 2024 MLB Playoffs
Not many people expected the Detroit Tigers to be in the hunt for a postseason spot in mid-September. But, with 12 games remaining in their season, they are only 2.5 games behind the Minnesota Twins for the final wild card spot in the American League.
What has helped put the team in this position?
With a loss on July 4th to the Twins, the Tigers dropped to nine games under the .500 mark. Since that point, they have been on a tear.
Their 38-25 is the best in the AL, providing the background of a story you would normally see in a Disney movie. A scrappy young team exceeding expectations looking to defy all the odds facing them.
What has sparked this turnaround? It seems nothing in particular other than the team believing in itself.
“Because we know,” outfielder Riley Greene, an emerging leader for the team, said via Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic. “We’re young. We know that we’re really good baseball players, and we have a really good team here. Everyone loses baseball games. It was really just trying to stay positive through it all.”
Greene and Kerry Carpenter getting healthy has helped get the Detroit lineup on track. But after selling veterans Andrew Chafin, Carson Kelly, Jack Flaherty and Mark Canha ahead of the deadline, no one expected a run like this to ensue.
Their odds for a playoff spot received a massive boost over the weekend when they won two out of three games against the Baltimore Orioles.
While still slim, as FanGraphs gives them a 10.2 percent chance, per Stavenhagen, that is a huge improvement over where they stood a few weeks ago with 0.2 on August 11th.
Also working against the Tigers is that the Twins own the tiebreaker against them. That essentially gives them an extra game in the standings, as the current 2.5-game deficit is pretty much 3.5.
The road certainly won’t be easy. Detroit has series against the Kansas City Royals, Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox to close out the regular season.
If the Tigers can navigate those first six games without ceding ground, they will be in excellent shape heading into the final week of the season.
Minnesota needs to continue floundering for ground to be made up. It is certainly possible as they play 10 games against the Cleveland Guardians, Boston Red Sox and Orioles, with three against the Miami Marlins, to close things out.
KENNETH TEAPE
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.