A month ago, the Tigers looked dead. Now they're a week away from ending a decade-long drought.
The Tigers come home for their final six games of the season in possession of the final American League wild card spot, on the heels of a gutsy 5-1 roadtrip culminating with a nail-biting win over the Orioles. They passed the Twins on Sunday after trailing them by 9.5 games exactly one month prior.
"Pretty special to be in this spot right now, coming from where we've been the whole year," Kerry Carpenter said after drilling two homers in Detroit's 4-3 win over Baltimore on Sunday. "And man, this team can do it. We're confident going into this homestand."
It begins Tuesday against the Rays, and concludes this weekend against one of the worst teams in MLB history in the White Sox. The Tigers are 27-11 since Aug. 11, the best record in the majors. They also have the best run differential and ERA (2.66) over that stretch.
"I feel like each time we go out there and each win we get, we get more confident," said Carpenter. "And beating good teams at their places and competing with the best of the best in this league, it's pretty special."
It's not a coincidence that the Tigers caught fire around the same time that Carpenter and Parker Meadows returned to Detroit.
Carpenter, whose second homer Sunday restored the Tigers' lead in the top of the sixth immediately after the Orioles had tied the game in the fifth, has been one of the best hitters in baseball since storming back into the lineup with two homers on Aug. 13 after missing nearly three months with a back injury. His .601 slugging percentage this season trails only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani among hitters with at least 250 plate appearances.
"I don't think you can expect a two-homer game (every time), but you can expect him to go up and be super dangerous and give us a chance to change the scoreboard," A.J. Hinch said after Sunday's win. "He's somebody that you have to manage against, and you see it time and time again because of the threat."
Meadows ended the O's rally in the fifth when he used all of his 6'5 frame to rob AL Rookie of the Year candidate Colton Cowser of a two-run homer, then made a running catch in the gap to lead off the bottom of the ninth. He has sparked the Tigers on both sides of the ball since returning on Aug. 3 from a hamstring injury, which came shortly after he'd been recalled from Triple-A. On top of his elite defense in center field, Meadows has delivered a number of clutch hits.
"He's a difference-maker through and through," said Hinch.
The home run theft Sunday was Meadows' second highlight reel grab in as many days. Carpenter had the best view of it, jumping in concert with Meadows at the outfield wall, and said he was simultaneously "speechless" and "freaking out" when Meadows came down with the catch. Watching the Tigers take off on this ridiculous run, the rest of baseball can relate.
"I can't say enough about Parker. He's unbelievable out there. He should win a Gold Glove. I want to start that campaign soon, because Parker deserves a Gold Glove. He's the best centerfielder in this league in the world right now," Carpenter said.
The Tigers' bullpen was once again terrific on Sunday in a game started by Tyler Holton. Rookie Ty Madden was the only one of Detroit's six pitchers to allow more than a single hit.
"We used four out of the five bench players, we used the bullpen, we have guys in unique roles to what they're used to and they're coming in and doing their part," said Hinch. "I love this team, I love what we're doing to fight every game as if it's the last game of the season. It's how we've operated and it's how we're going to continue to operate. We bring it every day."
With Sunday's win, the Tigers clinched their first winning record since 2016. But they have more to play for than that. With six games to go, they control their own destiny. If they sustain this improbable run, the Tigers will return to the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
"We're all in," said Hinch. "We say that all the time, and guys are willing to do anything. It matters that they care. They're willing to sacrifice something for the best interest of the whole group."
