Pittsburgh Delivered the Gut Punch. Kansas City Showed the Tigers May Be Running Out of Gas

PNC Park deserves its reputation as one of the best places in baseball to watch a game. The view, the atmosphere and the way the ballpark fits into downtown Pittsburgh make it worth the trip.

I had the opportunity to watch Wednesday afternoon’s game from the stands, and the ballpark lived up to the hype. Unfortunately for the Detroit Tigers, it may also be remembered as the setting for one of the most damaging losses of their season.

Detroit carried a 3-1 lead into the seventh inning and remained ahead 3-2 entering the bottom of the ninth. Jackson Jobe had given the Tigers 5⅓ innings of one-run baseball against Paul Skenes and the Pirates. Kevin McGonigle drove in two runs, and Detroit was two outs away from leaving Pittsburgh with a series victory.

Then Rafael Flores Jr. homered off Kenley Jansen to tie the game. Two batters later, Brandon Lowe hit a 1-2 cutter off the right-field foul pole to give Pittsburgh a 4-3 victory.

It was only one loss in the standings, but it felt considerably heavier than that.

Friday night’s 5-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals did not provide the same late-game drama. In some ways, however, it may have been more concerning. The Tigers did not have a victory ripped away from them. They simply looked like a team running out of answers.

Royals left-hander Noah Cameron held Detroit scoreless for five innings, allowing only two hits. Cameron walked three and struck out only two, but the Tigers could not take advantage of the traffic he allowed.

That problem continued after Cameron departed.

Detroit finished with six hits and drew seven walks, including three from Spencer Torkelson. The Tigers put runners on base but stranded 11 of them. They did not score until the seventh inning, when Zach McKinstry delivered an RBI double and McGonigle followed with an RBI single to cut Kansas City’s lead to 3-2.

The brief threat did not last.

Carter Jensen homered in the bottom of the seventh to restore Kansas City’s two-run advantage. Kyle Isbel added an RBI double in the eighth, and the Tigers went quietly over the final two innings.

Vinnie Pasquantino, Isbel and Jensen each hit solo home runs for the Royals, who extended their winning streak to six games. Kansas City collected 10 hits and scored in five consecutive innings from the fourth through the eighth. MLB’s official game summary

Troy Melton deserved better than his second loss of the season. He allowed three runs, two earned, over 5⅔ innings and once again gave Detroit an opportunity to win. Melton has been one of the best developments of the Tigers’ season, but even another competitive outing from him was not enough to overcome the lack of timely offense.

Detroit has now lost six of its last seven games and fallen to 61-67.

Saying the Tigers are running out of gas should not be confused with questioning their effort. The larger concern is that they may be running out of healthy players, reliable pitchers and room for error.

Riley Greene is on the injured list with a hamstring strain. Kerry Carpenter, Matt Vierling, Wenceel Pérez and Parker Meadows also remain unavailable, leaving Detroit without much of its expected outfield.

Greene’s absence is particularly damaging. His 16 home runs and 54 RBIs rank among the team leaders, while his 129 wRC+ trails only Dillon Dingler and McGonigle among Tigers regulars. MLB’s injury update

The pitching staff has been stretched just as thin.

Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize were traded at the deadline. Jack Flaherty, Reese Olson and Justin Verlander are unavailable. Will Vest is out for the season, and Brant Hurter is still trying to work his way back.

That has left the Tigers relying on Melton, a recently returned Jobe, Keider Montero, Drew Anderson and now Andrew Sears, who is expected to make his major-league debut as a bulk pitcher Sunday.

The young pitchers deserve an opportunity, and Sears has earned his promotion. But asking inexperienced arms to stabilize a staff during a playoff race shows how little depth Detroit has left.

The American League continues to give the Tigers opportunities.

Despite sitting six games under .500, Detroit entered Saturday only 2½ games behind Texas for the final wild-card position. The Rangers held that spot with a 64-65 record and a minus-45 run differential.

The Tigers, meanwhile, had a plus-79 run differential and an expected record of 73-55. Their actual record was 12 games worse. MLB’s official wild-card standings

It is one of the strangest statistical profiles in baseball. Detroit has scored 79 more runs than it has allowed, yet it remains below Toronto, Minnesota, Cleveland, Baltimore and Texas in the wild-card race.

That difference helps explain the frustration. The Tigers have played well enough for long stretches to remain relevant, but their performance in close and high-leverage situations has repeatedly erased that work.

Wednesday’s loss in Pittsburgh provided the most painful example. Friday’s loss showed the other side of the problem. Detroit left runners everywhere, failed to produce a big hit and watched Kansas City steadily pull away.

FanGraphs now gives the Tigers a 9.4% chance of reaching the postseason. The standings say they are still alive, but the probability reflects how difficult the path has become. FanGraphs playoff odds

The schedule will not provide much relief. After Kansas City, the Tigers return home to face the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers.

There is still enough time for another run, particularly in an American League race in which several teams appear determined not to claim the final spot. But Detroit has reached the point where remaining close is no longer enough. The Tigers must begin winning immediately.

Wednesday may eventually be remembered as the loss that broke their momentum. Friday looked like the aftershock.

The Tigers are technically alive. They just no longer look like a team with much fuel remaining.