WEST SACRAMENTO, CA – The Detroit Tigers traded Jack Flaherty to the Los Angeles Dodgers two summers ago and reeled off an improbable run to the postseason.
A day ago, they traded Tarik Skubal to the Dodgers.
Is it fair to wonder if they can make another wild run?
Eh, probably not.
Even though they’re just 2½ games out of the American League’s third and final wild-card spot, they have five teams either tied or ahead of them, including the pesky and dreaded Cleveland Guardians, who won again Sunday, Aug. 2, to hold onto their playoff spot.
So, too, did the Tigers, beating the Athletics, 11-0, at Sutter Health Park, to finish an three-game series sweep (as well as a six-game season sweep, the first of the A’s by the Tigers since they both entered the AL in its charter season of 1901). Seattle is another team between them and that last wild-card spot. As luck would have it, the Tigers will travel to Seattle next.
They leave West Sacramento without their ace; he was in Los Angeles, joining the Dodgers ahead of their series vs. the Cubs in Chicago (where he’ll start on Tuesday). But they also leave with sincere belief that they’ve got enough talent to pull this off.
When they play like this, and get contributions from unlikely places, and pitching from ascending places – yes, we’re talking about the increasingly reliable Keider Montero – it’s reasonable to dream.
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If not, what else is there?
Before Sunday’s series finale, a few folks wearing A’s colors were speculating about where their club’s next win might come from. So, keep that in mind. And the A’s have averaged more than seven runs allowed per game at Sutter Health Park this season. Keep that in mind as well.
Also keep in mind that not too long ago, folks wearing the Old English “D” wondered the same about their club, about where their next win would come from.
The Tigers are not there, at least. Hard to believe they were back in May.
Have they earned the right to believe they’ve got a shot? Absolutely, and not just because of the symmetry of the trades that took place as bookends of a two-year span.
They have the second-best record in the American League since the beginning of June. That’s a decent sample size. Unlike in 2024, though, they don’t have Skubal for the stretch run.
They do, however, have relative health, a couple of dynamic rookies, and a couple of young pitchers who continue to look like frontline starters.
At the plate: (Almost) everybody scores
Once again, the Tigers jumped on the A’s in the first inning. Gleyber Torres began things with a walk. Dillon Dingler, Sunday’s designated hitter, followed with a single and Spencer Torkelson continued his recent hot streak when he ripped a two-out double to drive in two runs.
The Tigers added four more in the sixth when Torres – also riding a recent heat wave at the plate – singled, driving in Max Clark and Ben Malgeri. Rookie Eduardo Valencia, giving Dingler a break behind the plate, doubled to left field (he had two doubles on the day and four RBIs), driving in Zach McKinstry and Torres.
Speaking of Clark, the rookie hit another single and drew two more walks. Yes, they came against the Athletics’ struggling starter, Gage Jump. And, yes, it’s early; this was Clark’s third career MLB game. Still, he continues to show patience and savvy at the plate, all at age 21.
Meanwhile, Riley Greene got the day off. He needed it. He’d been chasing the last several games.
On the mound: Keider Montero in control
Montero, on the other hand, is forcing hitters to chase. Not so much to induce swings and misses – though he’ll take those – but to get batters slightly off balance.
He has been lights-out in three of his past five starts, and respectable in the other two. He was dominant again Sunday, holding the A’s to two hits and no runs over six innings. Again, keep the opponent in mind.
Also keep this in mind: He has been effective all season, and versatile, too, giving A.J. Hinch a starter who he can use in the bullpen – and has – though it’s hard to see Montero leaving the rotation for the rest of the season, especially if Casey Mize is traded.
Even if Mize remains a Tiger, Montero has more than earned his spot alongside him in the rotation. And no matter what happens the rest of the way – who stays, who remains –he and Troy Melton look like a good place to start the Tigers’ rotation next season.
Next up: The Emerald City
It’s on to Seattle for the Tigers (54-58), with a chance to jump ahead of the Mariners (55-58) in the wild-card chase. These aren’t last year’s Mariners, who defeated the Tigers in a 15-inning Game 5 in the ALDS. Fans up in the Northwest are wondering how catcher Cal Raleigh managed to hit 60 home runs last year. In an injury-plagued season, he has 11 this season, and an eye-popping .162 batting average.
The way this season has gone, it’s possible he’ll bust out of his season-long slump just as the Tigers arrive. Then again, it’s August, and maybe the Tigers are an every-other-year-let’s-make-a-push-late-in-the-summer team.
If Mize isn’t traded by the 6 p.m. Monday deadline, he will pitch the series opener Tuesday (9:40 p.m., Detroit SportsNet), taking Skubal’s spot. Melton and Framber Valdez are slated to be the next two starters, though Hinch wasn’t willing to commit to anything ahead of the deadline.
Contact Shawn Windsor: swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him @shawnwindsor.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers keep pounding for first-ever season sweep of Athletics
Reporting by Shawn Windsor, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Shawn Windsor, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
