Tigers Out of Sync and Out of Answers at Comerica
It was a long night for the fans at Comerica Park — and another quiet one for Detroit’s bats. The Tigers fell 8–4 to Seattle on Tuesday, looking out of sync, out of answers, and out of time. They’ve now gone flat at the plate for most of the series, and unless something changes fast, this postseason run will end the same way it began — with missed opportunities and too many empty swings.
The game, delayed three hours by rain before first pitch, never felt like it belonged to Detroit. What was supposed to be a spark at home turned into another lifeless showing from a team that seems to have completely lost its rhythm at the worst possible time.
Manager A.J. Hinch summed it up afterward:
“We’re really having a hard time putting back-to-back good at-bats together.”
No kidding.
Core Goes Cold Again
Detroit’s core trio — Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, and Kerry Carpenter — combined to go 1-for-11. When your 1-4-5 hitters are basically ghosts in a game, there’s no path to victory.
Logan Gilbert made quick work of the Tigers, carving them up with six shutout innings before handing things to the bullpen. He struck out seven, walked none, and allowed just four hits — all singles.
Meanwhile, Seattle came ready to play ball. Eugenio Suárez, J.P. Crawford, and Cal Raleigh each homered, combining for three long balls that silenced Comerica Park early. Every mistake Detroit’s pitchers made left the yard.
Jack Flaherty was tagged for four runs in 3.1 innings, throwing 76 pitches before being chased in the fourth. He gave up one of those homers, and any sense of control vanished fast.
Mental Mistakes and Bad Habits
To make matters worse, the Tigers once again hurt themselves defensively. In the fourth, Riley Greene threw an off-line throw to the cutoff man, Zach McKinstry, who decided just to let the ball go, and it skidded past Dillon Dingler. Flaherty, who was backing up home plate, threw a strike to Dingler, but Victor Robles beat the tag. It was the kind of simple breakdown you expect to see fixed in Little League — and it perfectly summed up Detroit’s night: sloppy, unfocused, and unraveling.
By the eighth inning, the Mariners led 8-1 after Raleigh’s two-run blast. Detroit’s body language said it all. To add insult to injury, the guy who caught the ball in the stands was wearing a “Big Dumper” shirt. The odds of that are pretty slim, and it may be a sign of things to come.
A Too-Late Rally
Down seven heading into the ninth, a few bench players finally showed some fight. Jake Rogers singled, Jahmai Jones walked, and Torkelson ripped a two-run double to right. Andy Ibáñez followed with an RBI single to make it 8-4.
Then, just as quickly, it was over. Parker Meadows lined the hardest-hit ball of the night — a rocket toward right that Josh Naylor snared before stepping on first for a double play. The final out mirrored the series: too little, too late.
What Comes Next
The Tigers now face elimination, and the truth is unavoidable — this lineup isn’t good enough right now. Looking at the stands in the top of the 9th, it appeared that the Tigers faithful had lost faith as well. It’s disappointing that the Tigers couldn’t do better in front of the home crowd.
On Wednesday, Casey Mize will take the mound, and he needs to pitch the game of his life. Without a solid effort, the Tigers will be making plans for the offseason. A win sends this back to Seattle in a winner-take-all affair. Tarik Skubal would get one more chance to grab a win in this series and launch the Tigers to the ALCS. But, as we all know, Skubal doesn’t bat, so he still needs to rely on Tiger bats, and we know how that’s worked out for him this year.
Maybe this is frustration talking. But after waiting out a rain delay to watch another lifeless, mistake-filled performance, it’s hard not to say it out loud — the Tigers look out of sync, out of rhythm, and out of answers.
Just one more thing, in an effort to match the mojo of Seattle’s Trident, maybe the Tigers should dust off last year’s Little Caesars Spear with the two pizzas on top. It brought some magic to the Tigers during the 2024 season, so why not now? Yes, I’m grasping at straws, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Can you say “Pizza, Pizza”?
