Inside the Article:
Man, the slide is real. The Detroit Tigers have dropped 13 of their 23 games since the All-Star break, and are 3-7 in their last ten games. This has dropped their record to 49-63, 14 games under .500 the most under .500 they've been all season. The Minnesota Twins came into Comerica Park, punched Joey Wentz in the mouth from jump street and never looked back.
Why it matters
It's really been all downhill since the failed trade deadline, that left the Tigers holding the bag on Eduardo Rodriguez. And, the schedule doesn't get any easier, either. They have five more games with the Twins, four games with the Cleveland Guardians and the New York Yankees, and three games against each of the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and the Houston Astros. The road ahead definitely does not get easier for a team in a downward spiral.
Detroit Tigers & Minnesota Twins by the numbers
It was a rough night all the way around from Joey Wentz going only three innings had giving up eight runs, to Alex Lange's inability to throw strikes, to the offenses inability to figure out Pablo Lopez, who was dominant against a very anemic offense. It was a brutal game all the way around. Nick Maton did hammer a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth, the only life the Tigers showed all night.
The bottom line
The Twins have been playing good baseball and have built on their AL Central lead over the Guardians. With Rodriguez on the bump tomorrow against Sonny Gray, the Tigers will hope to squeak out a victory over the division leaders. The bats and starting pitching have to be better than what they were tonight, or that respectable record, that looked attainable, will continue to move farther and farther away.
