Hey, Detroit! So how 'bout those Tigers, huh?
Sorry. That was cruel.
It was cruel because the Tiges lost to Cleveland last night, 5-2, after their formerly peerless ace Tarik Skubal blew a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning and the Guardians hit him for a five-spot. It was a hell of show, boys and girls. The Detroits went full-on Colorado Rockheads in the sixth, handling the baseball like a grenade while Skubal A) made a throwing error, B) hit a batter, C) threw a wild pitch, and D) committed a balk.
After which the Tigers outrighted him to Williamsport, Pa.
OK, so not really. What they did do is drop their seventh straight game, lose to the Guardians for the fourth straight time, and scooch over to make room for Cleveland, which is now tied with the Tiges for first in the AL Central.
This is an epic collapse, in case you haven't been paying attention. The Tigers have been cruising atop the division since, I don't know, Ty Cobb was beating up black people or something. They had a 15 1/2 game lead on July 8, a 10 1/2 game lead on the first of September and a 9 1/2 game lead two weeks ago. But since then?
Since then they've been backing up so fast the loudest sound in Tiger Stadium these days is beep ... beep ...beep.
Of course, Cleveland's greatly assisted that process by winning 16 of their last 19 games. The Guardians are 9-1 in their last 10, while the Tigers are 1-9. The Guardians are on a roll; the Tigers look like they're toast.
Somewhere the Georgia Peach must be cussing and throwing things and foaming at the mouth, just like the old days. And somewhere else, Gene Mauch, whose 1964 Phillies famously blew a 6 1/2-game lead with 12 to play, must be sighing and saying, "Oh, dear."
He feels your pain, Detroit. He surely does.
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