The Detroit Tigers have been surprising a lot of people in the shortened 2020 season, and they're right in the thick of things with a .500 record with 26 games remaining on the schedule.
And they're about to face a major test, with four games in the next five days against their divisional rivals Minnesota Twins on deck, though they can take comfort in the fact that they recently completed a sweep of them last weekend.
If the American League playoffs began today, however, the Tigers would be on the outside looking in.
1. Tampa Bay (26-12)
2. Oakland (22-12)
3. Cleveland (23-14)
4. Chicago White Sox (23-15)
5. Houston (21-15)
6. New York Yankees (20-16) OR Toronto (20-16)
7. Minnesota (22-16)
8. New York Yankees (20-16) OR Toronto (20-16)
—-
9. Detroit (17-17), 2 games back
10. Baltimore (16-20), 4 games back
Detroit's remaining schedule is comprised mostly of series against divisional opponents, including two series against the Kansas City Royals (14-14, .368 pct), one against the Chicago White Sox (23-15, .605 pct), and one against the division leading Cleveland Indians (23-14, .622 pct).
Additionally, the Tigers have two interleague series on their remaining schedule – one against the St. Louis Cardinals (14-14, .500 pct) and once again against the Milwaukee Brewers (17-19, .472 pct).
With things so tight in the standings, a winning or losing streak could go a long way in determining Detroit's fate for 2020. Can they make it?
