Tigers’ Playoff Hopes Teeter After Tarik Skubal’s Disastrous Inning Against Guardians
DETROIT — What began as a crisp September night with playoff implications quickly devolved into a nightmare for the Detroit Tigers, whose postseason hopes are now dangling by a thread.
On Wednesday at Comerica Park, ace left-hander Tarik Skubal endured one of the most punishing innings of his career, surrendering a cascade of hits and runs that turned a tense division matchup into a sobering reminder of how fragile a playoff chase can be.
The Cleveland Guardians capitalized on every mistake in the fifth inning, stringing together sharp singles and patient at-bats to break open what had been a close game. By the time Skubal trudged off the mound, his normally dominant fastball lacked its usual bite, and the Tigers trailed by a margin that felt far larger than the scoreboard suggested.
“Sometimes the game just hits you in the mouth,” Skubal said afterward, his voice low but resolute. “I didn’t execute when I needed to, and it cost us.”
For Detroit, the timing could not have been worse. After leading the American League Central for stretches of the summer, the Tigers now find themselves on the brink of a collapse that would echo through the offseason. The Guardians, by contrast, left Detroit with momentum and the season-series tiebreaker, a potentially decisive edge should the division come down to a dead heat.
Manager A.J. Hinch kept perspective but didn’t hide his frustration. “We’ve got to be better in the big moments,” Hinch said. “It’s still in our hands, but we can’t let innings like that define us.”
Skubal’s struggles were surprising given his stellar season to date. The lefty entered the night with one of the league’s best ERAs and had emerged as the Tigers’ unquestioned ace. But command eluded him in that fateful frame, and Cleveland’s hitters refused to let opportunities slip away.
The Comerica Park crowd, lively early, fell silent as the inning wore on. Fans who had arrived with October dreams watched in uneasy disbelief, some standing with arms crossed as the Guardians’ lead grew. By the seventh inning, the tension had shifted to resignation.
Veteran infielder Javier Báez offered a dose of hope. “We’ve bounced back before,” he said. “We can’t let one bad inning—or one bad game—define our season. We’ll show up tomorrow ready to fight.”
With only a handful of games left, Detroit’s margin for error is thin. They now face a stretch of must-win contests against divisional foes while also hoping for help in the standings.
Baseball’s long season often comes down to moments like these—one inning that can tilt an entire campaign. For the Tigers, the challenge will be shaking off a night that felt like more than just a loss.
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