Getting Hot at the Right Time, the Tigers Continue to Roll
The Detroit Tigers’ improbable run has just been taken to the next level. As a result of today’s contest, the Detroit Tigers have now advanced to the American League Division Series. After winning back-to-back road games against the Houston Astros, the Tigers will advance to face the Cleveland Guardians in round two of the playoffs. Following a sweep of the Astros, Detroit will look to carry their momentum to Cleveland.
When it comes to postseason baseball, it is all about getting hot at the right time. The Detroit Tigers have certainly done that. Just less than two months ago on August 11th, the Tigers sat at 55 wins and 63 losses, 10 games out of a playoff spot. Since then, they have gone 33-13 in their last 46 games to make the playoffs. Winning Game One behind an electric performance from American League Triple Crown-winning pitcher Tarik Skubal, the Tigers defeated the Astros by a score of 3-1. In today’s matchup, the Tigers did not have a designated starter and used seven different pitchers to preserve a 5-2 victory with secret weapon Will Vest picking up the save. Trailing by a score of 2-1 late in this game, the Tigers were able to put up four runs in the eighth inning thanks to Andy Ibáñez’s three-run triple.
Looking ahead to round two of the playoffs, the Detroit Tigers will head to Progressive Field to begin their five-game series versus the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday. Finishing with the second-best record in the American League, José Ramírez and the Cleveland Guardians will prove to be a tough team to beat. Although Tarik Skubal has been seemingly unhittable, expect the Guardians to provide more offense and consistent starting pitching across the board. In addition to these two, the Cleveland Guardians led all of Major League Baseball with a bullpen earned run average of 2.57 with the next closest team posting a 3.11 ERA. Despite the Guardians being favored in this series, as we all have seen, anything can happen in October. With that in mind, do not count out the red-hot Detroit Tigers just yet.
