The Detroit Tigers started the season red-hot coming out of the gates. However, since the All-Star break, the team has been mediocre at best, leading many to be concerned about its future in the playoffs.
After getting out to the best record in baseball for an extended period of time earlier this season, the Tigers are just 26-28 since the All-Star break, and have allowed the Cleveland Guardians to close the gap to 5.5 games back in the AL Central. While the Tigers will likely still walk away with the division crown, limping into the postseason has sparked plenty of discussion of just how serious they are.
A.J. Hinch speaks on Tigers’ recent struggles
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch spoke with Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic about the team’s recent skid.
“If you see it as pressure, I bet it feels daunting,” Hinch said. “If you describe it as that, that’s daunting. We don’t have that.”
The Tigers may need to start feeling the pressure soon, otherwise they are in for a rude awakening in October. While Detroit still remains firmly in control of its own destiny with 11 games remaining, heading into the postseason on a significant skid is sure to yield similar results once actually in a postseason game. The Tigers currently hold the second seed in the American League, but could drop to third place if one of the Seattle Mariners or Houston Astros finishes with a better record.
