The Tigers left Chicago with a sweep hanging around their neck, and the bigger problem isn’t just that they lost three straight to the White Sox. It’s how they lost them. Detroit gave away leads in all three games, pushing its season total to 34 blown leads and dropping 5.5 games back in the AL Central race.
That’s the kind of weekend that naturally sends fans back to the trade deadline, and back to the same argument about Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize. That debate is never going away.
If the Tigers miss the postseason, people will wonder whether keeping both arms would have changed the story. If they get in and stumble early, the questions will only get louder.
But the sweep also points to a different deadline gripe - one aimed less at what Detroit moved and more at what it didn’t do. Scott Harris was reportedly looking at a late-inning reliever in the days leading up to the deadline, but in the end he chose to stay on the selling side.
That reluctance has often served the organization well. Harris held onto Troy Melton and Josue Briceño at last year’s deadline despite outside interest, and he has consistently kept other top prospects out of trade talks. Still, that same patience may have cost the Tigers a shot at the bullpen help they clearly could have used.
The frustration over the deadline only sharpened after a weekend in which Detroit’s pitching staff couldn’t protect three separate leads. It also came after the Tigers entered the White Sox series 6-3 without two of their best starters, a reminder that the team had been surviving just fine in that stretch before the sweep hit.
Now the Tigers have to move on quickly. Their next six games send them on the road against the Pirates, who have an identical record, and the .408 Royals. After that, they head home for matchups with the AL-best Rays and the slumping but never to be underestimated Dodgers.
Whatever spark the White Sox sweep just knocked down, Detroit needs to find it again in that stretch.
In Other News...
Tarik Skubal's Dodgers Comments Are Reopening A Painful Tigers Debate
Tarik Skubals latest comments about his outings with the Dodgers have stirred up more than just a review of his pitch counts. He made clear he was unhappy with not being able to work deeper into games, a tone that stands in sharp contrast to the more measured way he handled being lifted from a key postseason start for the Tigers last season. For Detroit fans, the contrast brings back an old conversation about how much leash a pitcher should get when the stakes are highest.
It also reopens a familiar Tigers debate about game management and how different managers handle their starters. The pitch count philosophy in Detroit was not the same as what Skubal has experienced in Los Angeles, and the difference is hard for fans to ignore when they compare the two stops side by side. Even without a final answer attached, the discussion says plenty about how one of the franchises most important arms is being used, and how that choice still resonates back home. [Read more 🡒]
Kerry Carpenter Update Leaves Tigers Facing A Brutal Stretch Run
Kerry Carpenters injury comes at an awkward time for the Tigers, who are trying to keep their footing during the final push of the season. Carpenter was placed on the 10-day injured list July 27 with left foot plantar fasciitis, and his absence takes away one of the lineups more established left-handed bats just as Detroit is trying to sort out its best mix down the stretch.
A.J. Hinch said Carpenter has been sent to see a foot specialist, which only adds to the uncertainty around how quickly this can turn around. The Tigers do have other players available to cover Carpenters spot in the lineup for now, but the broader question is whether they can absorb the loss without it becoming a problem that lingers deeper into the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]
Max Clark May Be Settling In Faster Than The Tigers Expected
Max Clarks adjustment to major league pitching has come with a subtle but important change in his approach at the plate. Early in the year, Clark and the Tigers used a toe-tap to help address range-of-motion issues, but as hes gotten stronger, he has moved back toward a modified leg kick that more closely matches his natural timing.
The shift has helped his hitting performance, and it has also offered a glimpse of why the Tigers are so encouraged by him. AJ Hinch has praised Clarks baseball intelligence and his ability to adapt, a combination that can make the difference for a young player trying to settle in against big-league arms while still learning what works best for him. [Read more 🡒]