An improbable late-season surge from the Detroit Tigers has them fighting for a playoff spot

Updated Sep. 23, 2024 5:55 a.m. ET

Associated Press

The Detroit Tigers were a seller at MLB's trade deadline on July 30, and at the time, the pessimism was entirely understandable. They had a 52-57 record, were dealing with various injuries and going nowhere fast.

So general manager Jeff Greenberg shipped pitcher Jack Flaherty to the Dodgers. Veteran outfielder Mark Canha went to the Giants. Reliever Andrew Chafin and catcher Carson Kelly were sent to the Rangers.

And then, somehow, the Tigers got better.

Young standouts like Riley Greene, Trey Sweeney, Kerry Carpenter and Colt Keith have gotten hot at the plate in September while lefty Tarik Skubal is among the leading candidates to win the AL Cy Young award.

Detroit has won 11 of its past 14 games to leapfrog the Minnesota Twins for the final American League wild-card spot with six games remaining. It's part of an exciting AL wild-card race that looked like an afterthought a few weeks ago.

The Kansas City Royals (82-74) and Tigers (82-74) would be the final two teams in the AL bracket if the season ended Sunday. The Twins (81-75) are one game back while the Mariners (80-76) are two games behind. There are six games remaining for all four teams.

“We still have a long way to go, so we’re going to stay grounded,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said.

The Twins have lost 11 of 17. The Royals have also nosedived, losing seven straight, including the past six at home. They have a 7-16 record since Aug. 28.

Bad Time to Have a Bad Game

If the Arizona Diamondbacks don't make the playoffs this season, they'll likely look back at Sunday's collapse as a big reason.

The defending National League champions took an 8-0 lead in the third inning against the Milwaukee Brewers and looked like they were about to roll toward a four-game series sweep. Instead, the Brewers rallied for a 10-9 win.

It was the biggest blown lead that ended in a loss in Diamondbacks history.

“If you slice it up any possible way, you can’t give up seven runs in three innings,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “You’re going to lose a lot of baseball that way, if that’s what coming out of your bullpen. That is not our bullpen. They’re going to pick it up.”

The NL wild-card race remains tight with the San Diego Padres (90-66) close to clinching a spot. The New York Mets (87-69) and Diamondbacks (87-69) are currently in the final two wild-card positions while the Atlanta Braves (85-71) are lurking two games back.

Manager Mayhem

The Cincinnati Reds fired David Bell on Sunday after six seasons with the team. The Reds expected to compete for the playoffs this season, but have been a disappointing club with a 76-81 record.

The manager movement probably isn't done yet. Miami's Skip Schumaker, Pittsburgh's Derek Shelton and Toronto's John Schneider are among a handful of dugout leaders whose futures are tenuous.

The Chicago White Sox fired Pedro Grifol and three coaches on Aug. 8, just days after the team ended a 21-game losing streak that tied the American League record.

The Seattle Mariners fired Scott Servais on Aug. 22, in the middle of his ninth season with the team.

Trivia Question

What MLB season saw the most managers get fired?

Move Over '62 Mets

The White Sox matched a post-1900 MLB record by losing their 120th game of the year, tying the 1962 expansion New York Mets after a 4-2 loss to the San Diego Padres on Sunday.

It remains to be seen how low they will go.

Chicago has six games remaining and still could be a playoff spoiler. The team's final series is against the Tigers, who will more than likely be fighting an AL wild card spot.