The slogan, “Be like the Royals,” has been the rallying cry of at least one MLB team in the bottom of the standings looking to finish the season with momentum that could carry into 2025.
Perhaps the catchphrase could be changed to “Roaring like Tigers.”
While the Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins from the American League Central earned respect for staying in the wild card chase until the end of the season, the Detroit Tigers are now one of the hottest teams in baseball that is about to wrap up. AL playground.
Faster than it took to get into playoff contention, the 2024 franchise has become the team no one wants to face as the season begins.
And to think, the Tigers received an insult less than two months ago when they chose not to trade left-hander Tarik Skubal for a package of prospects amid what appeared to be another lost season.
Detroit was 52-57 at the July 30 trade deadline. The Motor City baseball team had some horsepower, but it was wasted by gun suspension and flat tires.
The Tigers were in the midst of a five-game losing streak during that stretch that would have dropped them to 52-59. Less than two weeks later, they would go eight games under .500 at 55-63.
It made more sense to park that muscle car in the garage and cancel the insurance than burn a lot of gas driving it around town.
But as Tigers broadcaster Jason Benetti said after the Tigers cut their magic number to clinch the playoff berth to two with a win Thursday: “A city that doesn’t care about odds has a baseball team to match.”
While Skubal made the transition, outfielder Parker Meadows has been a revelation since returning to the big leagues following brutal early season struggles. The Tigers are 32-12 in games since his August 3 return from the injured list, doing his part offensively and defensively in Detroit’s open field.
The Tigers’ 673 runs scored ranked 19th in baseball through Thursday’s game, while their 161 home runs ranked 24th. They offset that with a 3.60 ERA that is second best in the American League and third best among all MLB teams.
In the bullpen, left-hander Sean Guenther emerged after the 28-year-old has only 14 games of major league experience and hasn’t pitched since 2021. Of his 16 games this season, 15 since August 22nd, he has played. changed to a 0.48 ERA.
Detroit relievers have pitched an MLB-leading 675 2/3 innings yet are fourth in baseball and second in the AL with a 3.56 bullpen ERA.
Senior shortstop Jackson Jobe made his debut Wednesday and got a few innings in relief, giving him time to contribute with the players he will call up for his teammates in what are expected to be major league games.
On a five-game winning streak, while taking nine of the last 10, the Tigers could gain more momentum with a three-game sweep against the hapless Chicago White Sox last weekend, at least at home.
As recently as three weeks ago, the Tigers were a .500 team. Now they enter a deep October run in the season without a big team, looking to ride the wave that the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks made when they made World Series runs last season.
So while it’s surprising that the Tigers have reached this point, no one should panic now.