The Detroit Tigers had a chance to bank a much-needed win on Wednesday, and for a few innings it looked like they were on their way. Instead, the night ended the same way too many of their games have ended this season: with a lead gone, a bullpen crack, and another loss that stings.
Detroit built a 3-1 edge in the fifth inning when Gleyber Torres and Kevin McGonigle delivered RBI hits and chased Paul Skenes from the game. Jackson Jobe did his part with a solid outing, and once the Tigers handed the ball to the bullpen, they were only 15 outs away from a series win.
That’s where things unraveled.
Kenley Jansen took over in the ninth with Detroit protecting a one-run lead, but Rafael Flores Jr. quickly tied the game with a home run. Two batters later, Jansen left a cutter in the zone, and Brandon Lowe punished it with a solo shot that ended the game and sent the Tigers to a crushing defeat.
It’s the kind of collapse that has followed Detroit all season. Per Tigers Data on X, the Tigers have now lost 19 games when leading in the seventh inning or later. Jansen has also given up five ninth-inning home runs this year and has been walked off four times.
There’s no denying Jansen’s place in the game. He’s one of the greatest closers of all time. But the Tigers are living in the present, and after a strong July, his struggles have returned in August.
Of course, Jansen isn’t carrying all of the blame. The offense has disappeared at times, and the rotation hasn’t consistently held up its end either. Still, the bottom line is hard to escape: late-inning games have become a major issue, and Detroit keeps finding ways to let them slip away.
That’s a brutal place to be with the schedule tightening up. The Tigers still have the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers ahead, and with the American League not exactly running away from them, the margin for error remains there. But blown leads have become a real problem, and Detroit is running out of time to clean them up.
In Other News...
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Brady Smiths latest setback adds another layer of concern to a staff that has been trying to keep things together through the grind of the season. He went on the 7-day injured list after leaving a recent start with arm discomfort, a reminder that even the smaller roster moves can carry outsized weight this time of year. Around the club, there was at least one lighter note off the field, as the Tigers broadcast team moved up to No. 7 in Awful Announcings annual rankings, one spot better than a year ago. [Read more 🡒]
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The appeal seems to be a blend of personality and baseball sense, with the booth drawing praise for both its entertainment value and its tactical insight. For Tigers fans, that matters - the broadcast has become more than background noise, and the rise in the rankings is a sign that the kind of steady, watchable TV product they wanted is starting to match the team they follow. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers August Slide Puts Painful Offseason Decisions Under A Harsh Light
The Tigers late-summer stumble has turned a promising season into a more uncomfortable conversation. After dropping a series to the Pirates, Detroit is five games under .500 and 1.5 games out of an American League wild-card spot, a slide that has put the clubs offseason choices under a brighter and less forgiving spotlight.
Several of the moves meant to stabilize the roster have not delivered as hoped, with free-agent additions such as Framber Valdez, Kyle Finnegan, Justin Verlander, Kenley Jansen and Jack Flaherty either underperforming or dealing with injuries. The trade of Dylan Smith to the Giants also looks worse by the week given his strong work there, and the Tigers decision not to add an outfield bat has left an offense that many believe could have used one more impact piece. [Read more 🡒]