The Detroit Tigers have spent the last two months pulling themselves in two different directions.
At the end of May, they were sitting on a 6-22 record and buried at the bottom of the AL Central. June looked a lot more like a team trying to claw back into the picture, as Detroit went 15-11 and started to make some noise both in the division and in the race for an AL Wild Card spot. The offense got better, but the real engine behind the turnaround has been the starting pitching.
That rotation has been on a heater. On June 30, Tigers PR posted on X that Detroit had tied a single-season streak by allowing no more than four runs in 33 straight games. Since that point, the club’s starters have pushed the record even further, with the Tigers not allowing four runs since that stat was first noted.
The recent numbers are eye-popping. Over the last four starts, Tigers starters have posted a 0.37 ERA with 35 strikeouts, and Detroit has won three of those four games. That stretch included this week’s sweep of the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, the Tigers’ first there since 2008.
Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal and Troy Melton carried the load in that series. In the first two games, Mize and Skubal combined for 13 innings, giving up two hits, two runs, one earned run, no walks and 19 strikeouts.
Melton then followed with 6.1 innings, allowing two hits, walking one and striking out seven. Put it all together, and Detroit’s rotation has been almost impossible to touch.
The run has also put the Tigers in a very rare class. According to OptaSTATS, only twice in American League history has a team had its starter strike out at least nine batters while allowing two or fewer hits in three straight games, whether regular season or postseason.
The other time it happened was also Detroit: Oct. 10-13, 2013, with Justin Verlander, Aníbal Sánchez and Max Scherzer. The current run covers June 28-30, 2026, with Jack Flaherty, Mize and Skubal.
Even with the pitching carrying the day, the timing is less than ideal. Detroit’s surge has come while it still sits several games behind in the playoff chase, despite a positive run differential. FanGraphs gives the Tigers a 24.4% chance of making the playoffs, and the path ahead is still steep.
For now, though, the staff has given Detroit something real to hang onto. The Tigers continue their road trip Thursday night against the Texas Rangers.
In Other News...
Tigers Prospect Peyton Graham Is Finally Giving Detroit Something It Lacks
Peyton Grahams season in the Tigers system has turned into exactly the kind of development Detroit has been waiting to see from a once-promising shortstop. The 25-year-old is healthy again, playing at Double-A Erie, and his game has started to look like the one the organization hoped would emerge when it drafted him. Hes bringing speed, extra-base pop and enough consistent contact to make this much more than a brief hot streak.
The stolen bases have been the loudest part of the breakthrough, but theyre only part of the case Graham is making. After injury-plagued seasons that left him on the sidelines and searching for rhythm, he has put together a far more complete year, one that includes a strong batting average and an OPS that stands out in the Eastern League. He is not on the doorstep of Detroit yet, but for a club that can always use more athleticism up the middle, Graham is at least giving the Tigers something worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Fans Have Been Waiting On This Big Prospect Development
Josue Briceo is back on the field after missing time with wrist surgery from spring training, and the Tigers are finally getting a fresh look at one of their most intriguing young bats. The No. 3 prospect in the system has wasted little time making an impression, with two hits and a home run in his first three games back, a small sample but a meaningful one for a player Detroit has been tracking closely.
Briceos power is the reason the organization sees a real path for him to help in the majors, potentially as soon as next year. His bat could ultimately fit best at first base or designated hitter rather than behind the plate, which only adds to the appeal if he keeps producing like this once he settles back in. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Are Staring At A Brutal Rotation Crossroads After Skubal
The Tigers rotation picture is already looking shaky for next season, and the uncertainty only grows when you look beyond the current year. Tarik Skubal and Jack Flaherty are both part of the conversation as possible departures, Justin Verlander is nearing the end of the road, and Detroit may soon be leaning on a group that has far less big-league certainty than the staff it has tried to build around.
Casey Mize has become a central part of that discussion because he has given the Tigers something they can actually trust, building on his 2025 All-Star season with a strong run this year. Behind him, the internal options are there, but they are still more projection than proof, with Troy Melton and Keider Montero among the names trying to force their way into the mix. If Detroit wants to avoid a rotation reset, the next few months could shape a lot more than just the end of this season. [Read more 🡒]