Fans of the Detroit Tigers have been watching an inevitable disaster approaching on the horizon. On Wednesday night, the storm clouds offically moved over their heads. Detroit lost 5-1 to the Cleveland Guardians in the second game of their penultimate series. And they now trail the Guardians by a game in the AL Central despite having a 15.5 game lead over this team at one point.

Detroit got the scoring started thanks to a Parker Meadows sacrifice fly. However, the lead did not hold. Cleveland scored five unanswered runs to give the Tigers their eighth straight loss and their 11th in their last 12 games. This loss completes one of the biggest collapses in baseball history.

Tigers play-by-play voice Jason Benetti has seen some highs and lows since joining the organization. On Wednesday, he perfectly summed up how this team has played. “What we're watching is as lifeless as we've seen in two years,” Benetti said, as shared by Tony Paul of The Detroit News.

Tigers season is plummeting toward an embarrassing finish

Tigers drop seventh straight as Tarik Skubal goes six in loss to Guardians, leaving Thursday’s starter uncertain amid AL Central collapse.
David Richard-Imagn Images
Article Continues Below

The Tigers, at one point, were the best team in baseball. No lead against this team seemed to be safe. They left everything out on the field. There certainly were concerning signs, but they were still able to bounce back.

Now, there is a very real chance Detroit misses the playoffs. The Tigers own the third Wild Card spot in the American League at this time. However, this lead is only a half game advantage over the Houston Astros.

Detroit is hurdling toward one of the most embarrassing seasons in baseball history. They have four games remaining to scramble and salvage something from this collapse. However, with as lifeless as this team has looked, there is legitimate concern over this team completely losing out.

The Tigers return to the field on Thursday to complete their series against the Guardians. On Friday, they travel to Fenway Park to begin their final series of the regular season against fellow AL Wild Card contender, the Boston Red Sox. Time is running out for Detroit to get it together and give its fans something to cheer for.