The Detroit Tigers find themselves in the thick of a late-season struggle, their once-comfortable lead in the American League Central now looking anything but secure. After being swept by the surging Cleveland Guardians with a 3-1 loss at Comerica Park on September 18, 2025, the Tigers’ advantage has dwindled to just 3.5 games. With only a little more than a week left in the regular season and nine games remaining—including three more head-to-head battles with the Guardians—Detroit’s postseason dreams suddenly feel a lot more precarious.
The mood around Comerica Park was tense as the Tigers wrapped up their series with Cleveland. Tarik Skubal, the Tigers’ ace and reigning AL Cy Young winner, took the mound hoping to halt the team’s skid. Skubal did his part, delivering a gutsy six-inning performance. He allowed just one run on seven hits and two walks, striking out nine over 102 pitches. His fastball was electric, averaging 98.5 mph and topping out at a blistering 101.5 mph. In the fourth inning, Skubal set a new personal milestone, recording his 229th strikeout of the season—surpassing his 2024 total of 228. By the end of the day, his tally had climbed to 233 strikeouts over 189 1/3 innings in 30 starts.
“He was nearly unstoppable against the Guardians,” noted one observer, as Skubal stranded runners in scoring position in the early innings and worked out of jams with his trademark power pitching. In the sixth, he left a runner on third by striking out Nolan Jones on a 99.5 mph heater. But even with Skubal dealing, the Tigers’ offense couldn’t find a breakthrough.
Detroit struck first in the second inning. Spencer Torkelson doubled, Wenceel Pérez singled, and Colt Keith delivered an RBI double to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. However, the rally fizzled as Dillon Dingler grounded into a fielder’s choice at home, followed by a strikeout and a lineout. The missed opportunity loomed large. To make matters worse, Keith exited with low back tightness after his hit, adding to the Tigers’ growing injury list.
Skubal’s only blemish came in the fourth, when Jhonkensy Noel—known as “Big Christmas”—launched a solo home run on a two-strike changeup, tying the game at 1-1. Skubal managed to keep the Guardians off the board through six, but after throwing 102 pitches, manager A.J. Hinch turned to rookie Troy Melton to face the top of Cleveland’s order.
That’s when the game—and perhaps the Tigers’ season—took a turn. After Steven Kwan lined out and Angel Martínez drew a walk, José Ramírez stepped up. The seven-time All-Star and one of baseball’s most underrated superstars wasted no time, crushing Melton’s middle-down cutter into the right-field seats for a two-run homer. It was Ramírez’s 35th career home run against the Tigers—the most of any active player—and it put the Guardians ahead 3-1. “Ramírez made the difference for the Guardians with a big swing in the seventh inning,” one recap put it succinctly.
That was all Cleveland needed. The Tigers’ bats fell silent against Guardians starter Tanner Bibee, who matched Skubal’s brilliance by allowing just one run on four hits and two walks with eight strikeouts over six innings. Detroit managed just a .212 batting average over their last ten games, going 3-7 in that stretch and being outscored by two runs. The Guardians, meanwhile, have won 12 of their last 13, including seven straight, outscoring opponents by 11 runs in their last ten games.
The loss capped a brutal stretch for the Tigers, who have now dropped 15 of their last 22 games and six of their last seven. Their once-commanding lead in the AL Central has shrunk to its smallest margin since May 24. With Cleveland nipping at their heels and three more games against the Guardians on the horizon, the pressure is mounting.
It’s not just the standings causing concern. The Tigers’ injury report reads like a laundry list: Colt Keith (day-to-day, back), Sawyer Gipson-Long (neck), Beau Brieske (forearm), Kyle Finnegan (abductor), Matt Vierling (oblique), Reese Olson (shoulder), Sean Guenther (hip), Jackson Jobe (flexor), Jason Foley (shoulder), Alex Cobb (hip), and Ty Madden (shoulder) are all sidelined. That’s a lot of firepower missing at a crucial time. “Time to start worrying, Tigers fans,” read one headline, as fans watched Tarik Skubal walk to the dugout after his outing, the weight of the season evident on his face.
The road doesn’t get any easier. On Friday, September 19, the Tigers hosted the Atlanta Braves at Comerica Park, desperately seeking to end a four-game home losing streak. The Braves, at 70-83 and fourth in the NL East, have struggled on the road but are coming off a stretch where they went 6-4 in their last ten games, hitting .264 as a team and outscoring opponents by 11 runs. Detroit, meanwhile, boasts an 85-68 overall record and a 46-32 mark at home, but recent results have cast doubt on their ability to close out the division.
The pitching matchup for the opener featured Bryce Elder (7-10, 5.56 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 118 strikeouts) for Atlanta and Charlie Morton (9-10, 5.56 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 146 strikeouts) for Detroit. The BetMGM sportsbook line had the Tigers favored at -120, with the Braves at -100 and an over/under of nine runs. Detroit’s Riley Greene has been a bright spot, posting 31 doubles, a triple, 34 home runs, and 108 RBIs while hitting .261. Spencer Torkelson has also been contributing, going 12-for-38 with a double and a home run over his last ten games. For Atlanta, Matt Olson leads the team with 69 extra-base hits, and Ronald Acuna is 14-for-37 with a double, two home runs, and three RBIs in his last ten.
Injuries have hit both clubs hard—Atlanta is missing key players like Aaron Bummer, Sean Murphy, Jake Fraley, Daysbel Hernandez, Austin Riley, Grant Holmes, Spencer Schwellenbach, AJ Smith-Shawver, Reynaldo Lopez, and Joe Jimenez. But for the Tigers, who are clinging to their division lead, the timing couldn’t be worse.
With the Braves series underway and the Guardians looming, Detroit’s margin for error is razor-thin. The Tigers’ faithful are left holding their breath, hoping their team can weather this storm and reclaim their early-season swagger. One thing’s for sure: the final week of the regular season in the AL Central is shaping up to be a nail-biter.
