The Detroit Tigers are in a much rosier situation than they could have been. After infamously blowing a 15.5 division lead and home-field advantage in the American League Wild Card series to the Cleveland Guardians, Detroit proved why they were the top team in the AL Central for the vast majority of the season. The Tigers even managed to knock off the Seattle Mariners on the road to open the ALDS. The Tigers are exactly where they expected to be. And yet, most expect Detroit to be ousted from the postseason in the coming days.
Tigers’ Championship Hopes Ride on Their Clutch Gene
There’s a reason the Mariners are the team many see advancing to the next round of the MLB Playoffs. Detroit defeated Cleveland, but it was a tense three-game battle that easily could have gone the other way. The Tigers advanced by the skin of their teeth, save for a four-run seventh inning in Game 3 that eventually sealed the series. Before that, Detroit had scored just five runs throughout the divisional matchup. Unlike Cleveland’s, though, Seattle’s roster is built to ensure that a mediocre offense showing won’t be enough to beat them.
The Tigers notably hit just 2-23 with runners in scoring position in the first two games of their opening playoff series. The chances were there, but rather than capitalizing, the offense instead added stress to an already taxed pitching staff. Detroit showed just how important it is to take advantage of those chances in Game 3, though, when the team finished a scorching 5-12 with RISP.
Detroit Will Realize Quickly that the Mariners aren’t the Guardians
The Tigers squeaked out an incredibly 3-2 extra innings victory in Game 1 of the ALDS thanks to first-time All-Star Zach McKinstry. Detroit still finished the low-scoring outing, hitting just 2-11 with RISP, but the team’s pitching committee held Seattle in check just long enough. With all the momentum on the line, though, the Mariners didn’t repeat their mistake in Game 2.
Detroit’s scoring chances were few and far between, but early opportunities were still squandered. The Tigers underwhelmed with runners on once again, finishing 1-6 with RISP. Spencer Torkelson’s two-run, game-tying double in the eighth proved to be the only runs they could muster. Julio Rodriguez put any hopes of a 2-0 lead to rest at the bottom of the inning, spotlighting Detroit’s continued offensive shortcomings.
With the series now headed back to Detroit, the Tigers will have a chance to get their offense going at Comerica Park. Detroit’s home park isn’t exactly hitter-friendly. However, home runs won’t matter if the team can’t capitalize with runners on base. Facing one of the league’s top offenses, the Tigers must manage more than a hit or two with the bases juiced.
The Tigers face another tough task from Seattle’s underrated rotation in Logan Gilbert. The All-Star right-hander, boasting elite strikeout stuff, will make it difficult for Detroit’s offense to mash when it matters most. However, the Tigers have also not seen the best of the Mariners’ lineup. In what should remain a low-scoring series, though, nothing will matter more in the upcoming contests than Detroit’s performance with runners in scoring position.
Main Photo Credits: Evan Petzold / USA TODAY NETWORK
The post Detroit Tigers’ Playoff Success Will Ride on Their Clutch Gene appeared first on Last Word On Baseball.