It was a lost weekend for the Detroit Tigers as their hopes of winning the American League Central all but ended. The Tigers were swept in a three-game series by the visiting Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park. The Tigers could have moved past the first-place White Sox with a sweep. Instead, Detroit is 5 games back with 38 games remaining.
Despite their 60-64 record, the Tigers are firmly in the race for the third AL wild card . They are only one game behind the Baltimore Orioles going into the opener of a three-game series against the Pirates on Monday night in Pittsburgh .
Plenty of blame goes around for the Tigers falling flat against the White Sox, losing 9-5 in the series opener, then 4-3 and 7-5.
Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler (13) Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The All-Star catcher had a bad weekend, going 1-for-13 and extending his slump to 2-for-38 over his last nine games. That is a blemish on an otherwise outstanding season by Dingler, who is hitting .259/.322/.499 with 26 home runs in 115 games.
The Tigers really need production from Dingler with outfielders Riley Greene , Kerry Carpenter , Parker Meadows and James Outman on the injured list. Dingler entered the series on the short list for AL MVP, as he ranks among American League leaders in WAR and is a valuable defender behind the plate. This weekend, he came up short.
The first baseman was just 1-for-11 with no extra-base hits. The Tigers needed more than that from Torkelson, too, who is second on the team with 20 home runs, trailing only Greene (26).
Tork has been a sore spot for Tigers fans all season long. While he provides immense power, a surprising number of those home runs come with no one on base. AJ Hinch has tried moving Torkelson down in the lineup to wake up his bat, but to no avail. Considering the aformentioned injuries Detroit is dealing with in their lineup, now would be a good time for Torkelson to prove his worth.
Detroit Tigers third baseman Kevin McGonigle (7) Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The 21-year-old rookie infield phenom matched Torkelson by going 1-for-11 with a single. However, McGonigle gets at least a little bit of slack for being in a big series for the first time in his brief career.
McGonigle is the frontrunner for AL Rookie of the Year, and he is one of the only reasons the Tigers are even in this position to begin with. After signing a contract extension before the season began, McGonigle was promoted prior to Opening Day and has a 5.7 bWAR to show for it. This weekend was unlike him, and the Tigers suffered as a result.
The right-hander set a bad tone for the weekend in the first game of the series. Jobe was rocked for six runs and nine hits in 3 2/3 innings. He left with the Tigers losing 6-3, and they couldn't catch up in a 9-5 loss.
The duo of Jobe and Troy Melton will have to come up big for the Tigers down the stretch, especially since they traded Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize at the deadline. Detroit did so knowing they'd have to count on their young pitching - namely Melton, Jobe, Keider Montero and even River Ryan should he be promoted - to fill the void. Jobe fell short against the White Sox.
The veteran reliever was the losing pitcher in Sunday's series finale. Munetaka Murakami 's two-run home run in the seventh inning off Holton broke a 4-4 tie, and the White Sox went on to win 7-5. Few bullpens have blown as many late leads as the Tigers this season. While Detroit's bullpen has performed better the last few months, Holton's meltdown came at the worst possible time. With it, the Tigers' AL Central hopes may be all but dashed.
This article was originally published on www.fansided.com as These 5 Tigers are to blame for blowing their only chance at the AL Central .
