The Tigers’ season has been defined by late-inning heartbreak, and last week’s trip to Cleveland added another brutal chapter. Detroit got walked off three times in a four-game set against the Guardians, including two walk-off hits on the same day, pushing the club to 11 walk-off losses on the year. According to the Tigers broadcast, it was the first time Detroit had been walked off three times in the same series since 1989.
That kind of ending has become the calling card of a 65-78 team that now sits 7.5 games behind the final American League wild-card spot. A serious run at the postseason is all but gone, and the Tigers now head back home to open a three-game series with the Twins, who beat up Detroit for 32 runs one week ago.
A.J. Hinch will line up Troy Melton, Drew Anderson and Keider Montero for the series.
Melton gets the ball first, and he’s been one of the few bright spots in a rough year. The 25-year-old has put together a 2.20 ERA across 17 starts, though his last outing was easily his toughest.
Against Minnesota last week, he gave up six hits and five earned runs, and the Twins did most of their damage once his location slipped in the fifth inning. That was the only real blemish in his season, and he’ll try to make it right the third time around against Minnesota.
Anderson has found a comfortable groove since the trade deadline. He posted a 2.66 ERA in August and has leaned on two standout traits: a 34.8 chase percentage, which ranks in the 88th percentile, and a 48.6 ground-ball rate, which sits in the 81st percentile, according to Baseball Savant.
This will be his fourth start against the Twins this season, and through 9.1 innings against them, he has allowed just two earned runs. Dean Kramer, who is 2-5 with a 5.81 ERA, is set to start Tuesday for Minnesota.
Montero’s most recent outing unraveled on a single swing. Detroit had built a 6-1 lead before Cleveland cracked him in the fourth inning, when he allowed three straight hits and a walk before Brayan Rocchio’s grand slam tied the game.
Even so, the 26-year-old has shown real progress outside that rough stretch. He was dominant against the Twins in June, throwing 6.1 scoreless innings.
Minnesota will counter with Zebby Matthews, who is 9-9 with a 4.69 ERA.
The postseason picture is bleak, but the Tigers still have a chance to end the year with something better than the way it has gone so far.
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The bigger issue is no longer just whether Finnegan can steady himself in the short term. The way his season has unfolded has pushed his contract situation into the foreground, with the Tigers facing an increasingly awkward choice on his 2028 option and even the possibility of moving on after 2026. For a club trying to build a more reliable bullpen, this is the kind of decision that can linger long after one bad outing. [Read more 🡒]