Where is the Love: Riley Greene Is Smashing Over the Last Three Games

There are just a few Detroit athletes that fans seem to sway on from month to month and year to year.

One month, fans love them. The next, they can't wait to see them shipped out of town.

Some of the disdain toward these players may be built-up aggression toward Detroit sports in general, considering the city has failed to win a championship in any of the four major professional sports since the Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup in the 2007-08 season.

Since then, Detroit has watched the Red Wings fall short of another championship, the Tigers lose the World Series—twice if you include the 2006 loss—the Pistons miss the playoffs repeatedly after their 2008 run, and the Lions fall in the NFC Championship Game in 2023.

There is a lot of frustration fueling Detroit sports fans.

So when players aren't amazing all the time, fans can turn on them quickly.

Guys like Dylan Larkin, Jalen Duren, Spencer Torkelson and, perhaps most prominently, Riley Greene have experienced that roller coaster.

Greene is a three-time consecutive All-Star, yet he still has never recorded a hit in an All-Star Game. He hits extremely well, but strikes out even better. He's one of the most important bats in the Tigers' lineup, but he has often seemed anything but clutch.

He runs like he's holding in a poop, yet somehow makes unbelievable catches in the outfield.

Riley Greene is simply one of the hardest baseball players to figure out.

Tigers fans have tried desperately to love him, only to be left feeling gutted plenty of times. Detroit knows how good Greene can be, and the team is undoubtedly better when he's in the lineup, but his tendencies can leave fans pulling their hair out.

However, through the pain and hate, the love and the great swings, and the roller coaster that comes with being a Riley Greene fan, it's always nice when that roller coaster is simply ticking upward and seemingly never going to drop.

That's the pace Greene is on right now.

Over the last three games, Greene has been on a torrid pace that should have every upcoming pitcher living with a ghost keeping them up at night.

A grim figure waiting in the shadows, knowing that a man batting .623 is on the horizon.

Yes, Riley Greene is slashing 9-for-13 over his last three games.

Coming into Monday's game, Greene was 6-for-9 over the previous two games with two home runs and three doubles.

So what did he decide to do on Monday?

Simply go 3-for-4 with another home run.

Over his last three games, Greene has three home runs, three doubles, four runs and eight RBIs.

That's a monstrous three-game stretch for any baseball player.

And for Greene, it comes at an important time.

After battling the injury bug and returning to the lineup less than impressively, a lot of chatter started to arise again around Detroit.

Was Greene losing his touch?

Was another disappointing stretch coming?

Were Tigers fans once again going to be left wondering which version of Riley Greene would show up?

For now, Greene is putting a halt to those conversations.

Greene still seems to have plenty of work to do to regain the love of Tigers fans he once had, which seems a bit absurd when you're talking about a three-time All-Star.

But for Tigers fans, the All-Star nod has seemingly lost some of its pizzazz.

They don't just want individual accolades anymore.

They want a player who comes up clutch when he's needed most. They want the big hit. They want the game-changing swing. They want someone who can help Detroit win the close games.

And that's ultimately where Greene has struggled to win over some of his loudest critics.

But if Greene can continue doing what he's done over these last three games, those critics may not have much left to complain about.

Nine hits in 13 at-bats, three home runs, three doubles and eight RBIs is exactly the type of production that can change a narrative.

Riley Greene has been a roller coaster for Tigers fans.

Right now, though, that roller coaster is heading straight up.