The Tigers have gotten exactly the kind of starting pitching stretch they were hoping for - and it still hasn’t moved the needle enough.
Detroit starters have held opponents to four or fewer earned runs in 33 straight games entering Tuesday’s meeting with the New York Yankees, matching the longest run in team history. That sounds like the kind of run that should change a season. Instead, the Tigers have gone just 16-17 during that span and only shaved 1.5 games off their deficit in the AL Central.
That’s the frustrating part. The streak began May 24 in Baltimore during a doubleheader that wasn’t supposed to happen until a rainout forced the issue.
Detroit dropped the first game to extend a losing streak to eight, then won the nightcap to stop the slide. At that point, the Tigers were 21-33 and 10.5 games behind in the division.
By the time they reached Tuesday’s game against the Yankees, they were 36-49 and nine games back.
So the starting staff has done its part, but the results haven’t followed. The projected opening day rotation has accounted for only four wins in that 33-game stretch. Framber Valdez has won two, Jack Flaherty one and Casey Mize one.
Mize’s win came Monday, and it was no ordinary outing. He became the first pitcher in Tigers history to throw seven or more shutout innings with 10 or more strikeouts, while allowing zero walks and no more than one hit. Across 126 years of franchise baseball, nobody had done that before.
And that’s been the pattern for Detroit’s rotation all year: keep the team in games, give it a chance, and wait for the rest of the roster to cash in. The offense hasn’t done enough with those opportunities, and the three-headed closer hasn’t been sharp enough either.
The Tigers came into the season with the idea that starting pitching would be a strength. That belief has taken hits with Tarik Skubal, Justin Verlander, Jack Flaherty and Casey Mize all missing time.
But even with the injuries, the group has still held up better than the standings suggest. If there’s one unit Tigers fans should remember kindly when this season is over, it’s the rotation.
It has done the job, especially over the last 33 games.
In Other News...
Yankees Suddenly Made Another Change As Tigers Keep Applying Pressure
The Yankees kept churning their bullpen mix Tuesday, sending right-hander Yerry De los Santos down to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and bringing right-hander Yovanny Cruz back into the major league relief corps. It is another small but notable roster tweak for a club trying to steady itself while the Tigers continue to apply pressure in the standings, and it shows how quickly New York is willing to move pieces around as it searches for the right late-game answers.
Cruz is not a new face to the big leagues this season, and his calling card is obvious enough once he takes the mound. The right-hander brings the kind of fastball velocity that can change the tone of an inning in a hurry, which is why his return is worth watching even in a move that might otherwise look routine on paper. [Read more 🡒]
This Tigers Infielder Is Suddenly Back In Deadline Trade Buzz
The deadline chatter around Detroits infield has started to pick up again, and it comes at a time when the market is being shaped by contenders looking for a right-handed bat. Bostons recent five-game surge has kept it in the playoff picture despite a mediocre American League field, and the Red Sox have at least given themselves a reason to keep searching for upgrades as the rotation continues to pile up quality starts.
For the Tigers, the part that matters is how a players rest-of-season value gets weighed against everything else in July. A bat with versatility across the middle infield and a contract situation that can make him more appealing to buyers usually draws notice, and Detroit is the kind of club that has to listen when that kind of name comes back into the rumor mill, even if the health question still clouds the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Suddenly Have A Real Shot At A Deadline Ace
Atlantas need for starting pitching has only grown as the club tries to hold onto first place in the NL East, and that kind of pressure usually pushes a front office toward the top of the market. MLB.coms Mark Feinsand has tied the Braves to Tigers ace Tarik Skubal as a possible deadline target, a sign that Atlantas combination of urgency, financial flexibility and prospect depth is being viewed as a real factor as July approaches.
For Detroit, any conversation around Skubal carries obvious weight because he is the kind of arm contenders covet and rebuilders rarely move without a steep return. The Braves already have a rotation stretched thin by injuries and uneven results, which is why the fit keeps making sense on paper, but the rest of the equation is still very much unsettled as the deadline picture starts to come into focus. [Read more 🡒]