The Detroit Tigers are in the final American League Wild Card spot due to their hot streak. AJ Hinch's squad has been the best in baseball since August 11, with a 26-11 record. After Sunday's action, they are tied with the Kansas City Royals and a game ahead of the Minnesota Twins for the final playoff spot.
The Tigers' surge is not the only reason for their newfound playoff aspirations. The Twins and Royals have struggled in the past month, as highlighted by USA Today's Bob Nightengale on social media.
“The Detroit Tigers, left for the dead six weeks ago, have overcome an 11-game deficit on Aug. 10 to not only pass the Minnesota Twins for the third wild-card spot, but are now tied with the Kansas City Royals for the 2nd wild-card berth,” Nightengale said in one post.
“The tide has dramatically turned in the AL Central for the final 2 wild-card spots:
The Minnesota Twins have lost [22] of their last [33] games.
The Kansas City Royals have lost 7 consecutive games, including all six games on their homestand.
And the Detroit Tigers have gone 27-11 since Aug. 11,” he added in another.
The Tigers are led by presumptive Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. The lefty is 4-0 with a 2.16 ERA in his seven starts since the hot stretch began. Detroit has won five of those seven games.
Tigers can ride hot stretch into playoffs
As Nightengale mentioned, things were dark for the Tigers before August 11. They traded Jack Flaherty to the Dodgers and Mark Cahna to the Giants at the July 31 trade deadline. Fangraphs gave them just a 0.2% chance of making the playoffs, which would have meant a tenth consecutive year without postseason ball in Detroit.
After Sunday's action, they have a 69.5% chance to make the playoffs on Fangraphs. That is their highest mark of the season and higher than both the Twins and Royals. The Tigers cannot win their division, the Guardians already clinched that, so if they make it, it will be through the Wild Card. If they take the six seed, it could set up a bizarre revenge series that was on no one's radar.
The Houston Astros have AJ Hinch to thank for their 2017 championship. The manager stayed through brutal seasons, got them to the playoffs in 2015, and saw it all pay off in 2017. The garbage can saga ended Hinch's run in Houston and he was suspended for a year by Major League Baseball.
He signed with the Tigers before the 2021 season and has turned them around. Now, his current team and former team can face off in a three-game set at Minute Maid Park.
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