DETROIT – The “Let’s go, Blue Jays,” chants Sunday afternoon didn’t echo throughout Comerica Park; they mainly came from the sizable Toronto fan contingent behind the visiting dugout. It’s a reminder of how close these cities are and how big a rivalry this once was in the AL East. These teams were paired on MLB’s Rivalry Weekend for a reason.
Still, the visiting cheers stood out as the ninth inning unfolded in the series finale. Matt Vierling’s leadoff walk against Tyler Rogers barely garnered a reaction. The replay review that overturned Gage Workman’s double play in favor of a fielder’s choice brought a little more applause. But once Spencer Torkelson checked his swing on Rogers’ slider on the outside corner, only to be rung up by home-plate umpire Dan Bellino for a called third strike that was confirmed on ABS challenge, Blue Jays fans went wild. Tigers fans went as their hitters did, quietly, during a 4-1 defeat that decided the series in Toronto’s favor.
The Tigers scored two runs over their last two games, and five runs in the series, their lowest total for a three-game set since scoring three runs in Texas out of last summer’s All-Star break. Detroit led for two innings in the series -- the end of Friday’s series opener on Torkelson’s walk-off hit, and Saturday’s sixth inning on Matt Vierling’s homer, a lead that was quickly erased in the seventh.
If there was ever a series to put in the rear-view mirror, this was it, especially with the series up next.
“I know you have to ask, but we have no point but to get to the next game,” manager A.J. Hinch said afterwards.
While Tigers and Blue Jays fans filed out of Comerica Park, the buzz down the street at Little Caesars Arena was just starting as the Pistons and Cavaliers prepared for Game 7 of their NBA Eastern Conference semifinal. It was an all-too-familiar, winner-take-all playoff matchup between Detroit and Cleveland, on the heels of a Tigers-Guardians series that went the distance the past two Octobers. It was also the leadoff act as the Guardians arrive for a four-game series at Comerica Park beginning Monday.
Unlike the Pistons, the Tigers aren’t in a win-or-go-home scenario against Cleveland just yet. But as the AL Central rivals prepare to meet for the first time since the 2025 Wild Card Series in Cleveland, there’s an underlying sense of unease.
“I know you guys have to write about stretches and ask about stretches. I can’t operate that way,” Hinch said. “I have to get to [preparing for] Cleveland tomorrow. We’ve got four games. We always love playing against those guys, because right now they’re at the top of the division.”
The Tigers enter the series 5 1/2 games back, tied with the Royals for the division cellar. The logjam around the .500 mark that served as consolation a week ago has given way to a gap the Guardians opened by winning five of their past six.
Detroit isn't publicly stressing the standings. Divisions aren’t decided in May, and ironically, the Tigers can point to themselves as an example. Detroit had an MLB-best 31-16 record at this same 47-game stage a year ago, with the Guardians 5 1/2 games back, a gap that grew to 14 games by August before Cleveland rallied to take the division.
“At the quarter point, they don’t crown division champions,” Hinch said Friday. “They also shouldn’t eliminate teams. I mean, we’ve learned lesson after lesson over the years that it’s a moment in time for everybody to jump to a conclusion that’s probably irrelevant. And when you’re on this side of it, you definitely want to believe that.”
There’s a feeling that the Tigers can and should turn their fortunes as they get healthier; that they’re depleted, not defeated. The rotation is stabilizing, and the defense has improved over the past couple of days. But the offense continues to struggle, and not just due to injuries. Torkelson shows flashes of another hot stretch but has yet to sustain it. Colt Keith is 3-for-25 over the past week and a half, his batting average dropping under .300 for just the second time this season. Wenceel Pérez moved down to ninth in the order, where he hit an infield single and scored Detroit’s lone run Sunday out of a bases-loaded, one-out opportunity.
Somehow, the Tigers have to turn it around against Cleveland’s pitching. It’s not win-or-go-home, but they’ve lost four consecutive series and haven’t won consecutive games since May 2-3 against Texas.
“I feel like we don’t really harp on the past,” Riley Greene said. “We’re a team that moves forward. We’re going to learn from our mistakes. We’re going to go out and play as hard as we can, find ways to win.”