The Tigers gave themselves a dream start Sunday, then watched it unravel the same way their weekend did: one Chicago push at a time.
Detroit jumped ahead early behind Brett Callahan’s MLB debut, but the White Sox kept coming, erased a three-run deficit and finished off a 7-5 win at Comerica Park to complete a three-game sweep. Munetaka Murakami delivered the big blow, a two-run go-ahead home run that capped five unanswered runs across three innings and sent the Tigers home with a brutal series loss.
For Detroit, the sweep landed hard. The Tigers entered the weekend with a shot to move past Chicago in the AL Central, but instead dropped three straight to fall to 60-64. They’re now at least one game out of the final wild-card spot and 5½ games back in the division.
Sunday looked like it might belong to the rookie and the home team early. Callahan wasted no time making an entrance, lining a two-run triple into the right-field corner on the first pitch he saw, a knuckle curve over the plate.
As he reached third and scrambled for the helmet that had come off on the way around the bases, his family was right there in the crowd, feeding off the moment. One batter later, Max Clark chopped a ball over the drawn-in infield for a single, and Callahan scored to make it 3-0.
Detroit kept piling on in the next inning when Colt Keith launched an opposite-field homer into the left-field bullpen. Sam Antonacci nearly took it away at the wall, but the ball slipped off the back of his glove as he leaped.
That 4-1 lead, though, never felt secure for long.
The White Sox had been swinging it well all weekend, and they chipped away in the fifth when Drew Anderson, starting for the Tigers, issued a walk to Tristan Peters before Drew Romo followed with a home run to make it a one-run game.
Tyler Holton took over in the sixth and immediately ran into trouble. Randal Grichuk, pinch-hitting, opened the inning with a double to center over Callahan’s head.
Two batters later, Colson Montgomery lined a single to tie it at 4. Holton limited the damage there, but the seventh inning got away from Detroit.
After a walk to Antonacci, Holton faced Murakami, who came in with 27 home runs and 55 RBIs. Murakami turned a middle-middle sinker into a two-run homer, putting Chicago ahead 6-4 and draining the building.
Detroit did get one back in the bottom of the inning. Gleyber Torres doubled, and Dillon Dingler followed with another double to trim the deficit. But the Tigers couldn’t land the final punch, and the White Sox added the separation they needed.
The loss was another painful twist in a weekend full of them for Detroit: a nine-run hammering Friday, a one-run loss Saturday, and then Sunday’s collapse. For manager A.J. Hinch, it all came back to the same thing.
"I never have a doubt, whether he's 30 for 30 or 0 for 30," Hinch said of his all-star catcher.
Then he summed up the bigger picture this way: "I understand the magnitude of these games are big," Hinch said. "You know, I've been a part of pennant races where I've gotten swept in September and had the same thing and we went to the World Series.
So, you know, I just think it's part of the schedule, and there's emotions around it, and it's missed opportunities, because you play these games where you can go one way or the other, and we went the wrong direction. And now our path is a little bit harder.
But it's still there."
In Other News...
Josue Briceo Is Giving Tigers Fans A New Reason To Trust Scott Harris
Scott Harris has spent most of his time as the Tigers president of baseball operations sending the same message in a few different ways: patience matters, and the best young talent is not going anywhere unless the deal is overwhelming. Since taking over in 2022, he has generally avoided moving top prospects, including at the 2023 trade deadline and beyond, preferring to let the organizations own players grow into the core of the next contender. That approach has become a defining part of how Detroit has rebuilt its roster, and it is one reason fans have been willing to buy into the long game.
Josue Briceo is starting to make that patience look a little more justified. After a recent promotion to Triple-A, the young hitter has made an immediate impression, adding another reminder that the Tigers may have real homegrown impact talent on the way. Harris has resisted the temptation to cash in those kinds of players for short-term help, and Briceos emergence only sharpens the stakes around that philosophy. If Detroit keeps holding onto its best prospects, the payoff may come from within rather than from a splashy trade. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Already Have A Worrying Skubal Trade Problem
The Tarik Skubal trade already carried the kind of long-term scrutiny that comes with sending away a frontline arm, and one of the young pieces Detroit received is now adding another layer of uncertainty. Brady Smith, a recent addition to the Tigers organization, has barely had a professional track record since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2024, and the development path was always going to be slow even before any new hiccups.
What makes it more frustrating is that Smith is not the only name from the deal dealing with setbacks. River Ryan and Zyhir Hope have also run into injuries or performance issues this season, which leaves the trade looking murkier by the week from Detroits side. For a front office that was hoping to restock the system with upside, the early returns have become more about survival than progress. [Read more 🡒]
Kerry Carpenter Update Leaves Tigers Facing A Brutal Stretch Run
Kerry Carpenters absence has quickly become one of the more significant developments in the Tigers stretch run, with the left-handed bat landing on the 10-day injured list July 27 because of left foot plantar fasciitis. For a Detroit lineup that has leaned on Carpenter for impact at key spots, the injury shifts the burden to a group of players who now have to absorb his at-bats and keep the offense moving while the club tries to stay on course.
A.J. Hinch said Carpenter has been sent to see a foot specialist, adding another layer of uncertainty to a situation that already carried plenty of concern. The Tigers do have options to cover his role, but the bigger question is how long theyll need to do it, and whether Detroit can navigate a difficult finish without one of its more dangerous bats back in the fold. [Read more 🡒]