A late-season surge pits Detroit directly against the club they're chasing, turning this four-game clash into a high-stakes opportunity to bridge the gap and keep postseason hopes alive.
The Detroit Tigers did what they needed to do over the last week to put themselves back on the edge of the American League playoff conversation. A six-game winning streak ended Wednesday afternoon with a 5-1 loss in Toronto, leaving Detroit at 72-80, but now the schedule provides an opportunity that is much different than beating teams and hoping for help elsewhere. The Tigers begin a four-game series Thursday night in Chicago against the White Sox, the team currently holding the final AL wild-card position.
Detroit enters the series five games behind Chicago for that final wild-card spot and 5 1/2 games behind Cleveland in the AL Central. Those are still significant gaps with only 10 games remaining, and Toronto, Texas and the AL West race remain part of the equation as well. In other words, beating Chicago does not suddenly put Detroit into a playoff spot, but it gives the Tigers something they have not had during much of this recent run: a chance to directly take games away from one of the teams they are chasing.
That is what makes four games at Rate Field worth watching closely. Relative to Chicago, a Tigers sweep would cut a five-game difference to one before accounting for what happens elsewhere, while taking three of four would reduce it to three. A split would leave the Tigers five games behind Chicago with only six games remaining, so Detroit needs more than simply playing respectable baseball this weekend if it wants to make the final week meaningful.
The timing is also interesting because these teams have been moving in opposite directions recently. Detroit had won six straight before Wednesday's loss and is 7-3 over its last 10, while Chicago is 3-7 during the same stretch and has lost seven of nine. Cleveland's 6-3 win Wednesday moved the Guardians a half-game ahead of the White Sox in the division, meaning Chicago arrives home dealing with its own pressure to stabilize its season.
There is another statistical oddity surrounding Detroit that has existed for most of the season. Despite sitting eight games under .500, the Tigers have a plus-76 run differential, compared with Chicago's plus-34, and Detroit's expected record based on runs scored and allowed is far better than its actual record. None of that helps them in the standings now, but it does reinforce what has been frustrating about this season: the Tigers have frequently looked better statistically than their record while failing to turn that performance into enough wins.
September has at least given Detroit a chance to see what some of the younger players can do while playing games that still have meaning. Hao-Yu Lee, Max Clark, John Peck and others have been getting opportunities rather than watching the organization lean entirely on veterans, and the recent winning streak showed that development and competitive baseball do not have to be separate ideas. The next four games offer another version of that test because the White Sox are not simply another opponent on the schedule. Plus, its a way for the Tigers to redeem themselves after Chicago swept them at Comerica Park last month.
Thursday's opener is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. ET at Rate Field, with Framber Valdez listed for Detroit against Erick Fedde. Valdez enters at 10-10 with a 4.01 ERA, while Fedde is 8-9 with a 3.97 ERA.
There is still a lot that Detroit does not control. The Tigers need help from other teams, and their position leaves almost no margin for an extended losing stretch. What they can control is four straight games against Chicago, and winning three or four of them would at least give Detroit a reason to keep watching the standings when the club comes home for the final portion of the schedule.
