The Detroit Tigers Are Suddenly Making A Late Run At Making MLB Playoffs

It's a long-standing cliché that the Major League Baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint. The 2024 Detroit Tigers might be one of the best examples that clichés often have some truth to them.

At the end of July, one of the key storylines of the MLB trade deadline revolved around whether the Tigers would trade star pitcher Tarik Skubal. As of July 31st, the Tigers were in fourth place in the American League Central, 14 games behind the first-place Cleveland Guardians. They were 7.5 games behind the third wild card position. And at 52-57, they had the 10th best record out of 16 teams in the American League.

Selling off-key players would have been an eminently reasonable, if not advisable, position. Especially considering the team's highest-paid player, Javier Baez, was in the midst of a career-worst season. The Tigers did trade free agent-to be Jack Flaherty, but generally held on to everyone else. And suddenly with two weeks remaining in the season, they're just 1.5 games behind the Minnesota Twins for a postseason berth.

Tigers LHP Tarik Skubal delivers a pitch vs. the Marlins at loanDepot park in Miami. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

Detroit Tigers Riding Unexpected Contributions To Playoff Chase

The Tigers enter Tuesday winners of 13 of their last 20, and 20 of their last 30. Most of that run has been without Baez, who's done for 2024 with a hip injury, and questionable to start 2025. It hasn't mattered.

Skubal has continued to dominate, with a 30.2% strikeout rate against just 4.7% walk rate. 24-year-old Reese Olson has emerged as a reliable contributor in the Tigers rotation, and Tyler Holton's been one of the best relievers in baseball. The offense has rebounded from a slow start, thanks to Kerry Carpenter, Riley Greene, Colt Keith and some late inning heroics from Parker Meadows.

Monday night's 7-6 win over the Kansas City Royals was another example of the Tigers' recent form. Down 4-0 after three innings, the Tigers battled back with a run in the fourth, and three each in the fifth and sixth. Capped off by a game-tying double from Wenceel Perez and RBI single from Matt Vierling.

So how realistic is it for the Tigers to complete the turnaround by grabbing one of the more surprising playoff spots in recent memory? Still not that realistic, according to Fangraphs. Their playoff odds still give Detroit just an 18% chance of reaching the postseason. Though as recently as August 22nd, their odds were a microscopic 0.8%. 

Detroit has a relatively tough schedule, with two more remaining in their series in Kansas City, then a trip to Baltimore to face the Orioles followed by three games against the Tampa Bay Rays. Those nine games won't be easy, but Detroit has one ace up their sleeve: they close out the season with three home games against the Chicago White Sox. 

Anything can happen in baseball, and if the Tigers are within a game or two heading into a series against one of the worst baseball teams ever assembled, they have to like their chances. Especially with the Minnesota Twins just 7-13 in their last 20. It really is a marathon.