Last night saw the Detroit Tigers lose to the American League-worst Chicago White Sox 12-5. This marks the Tigers' third loss in their last four games and their eighth loss in their last eleven matchups. Toronto, on the other hand, has won four of their last five including three straight
With the Toronto Blue Jays beating the New York Yankees, the Tigers continue to lose ground to Toronto for the No. 1 seed in the American League.
Over their last four games, Detroit has surrendered 31 runs, an average of 7.75 per game. Last year's Cy Young Award winner and current 2025 Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal should help soften the blow, starting for Detroit on Saturday. Skubal has a 12-4 record and a 2.14 ERA, the lowest ERA in the American League and second-lowest in all of baseball.
With 20 games remaining in the season, Detroit trails Toronto by two games for the top seed. The Tigers will need to make up more than their two-game deficit though, as Toronto won the season series 4-3 and hold the tiebreaker if the two teams finish with the same record. Luckily for Detroit, their schedule down the stretch is a bit easier than that of the Blue Jays, ranking 19th in difficulty compared to Toronto's schedule being the eighth toughest.
As the postseason nears, less than a month away, the Tigers will hope to swing the race for the top seed back in their favor and capture home field advantage throughout the playoffs.