Tigers BLOWING 15.5 Game Division Lead Against Guardians Sends MLB Fans into Frenzy: “Should Disband Their Franchise”

The Detroit Tigers were 15.5 games ahead of the Cleveland Guardians on July 8th after they completed a 3-game series sweep of them.

Tigers BLOWING 15.5 Game Division Lead Against Guardians Sends MLB Fans into Frenzy: “Should Disband Their Franchise”

Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch (Image via MLive)

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The Detroit Tigers have suffered a major collapse. Following their 5-1 loss against the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday, they fell 1 game behind their opponents after leading them by 15.5 games at one stage of the season.

The two AL Central division rivals have had a contrasting run of form this month. While the Tigers continue to stumble, the Guardians have been on the rise. The Cleveland-based side clinched their 17th win in their last 19 games on Wednesday to take the series against the Tigers.

After falling 1-0 down early in the game again, the Guardians came back. A 2-run home run from George Valera in the third inning gave the hosts a 2-1 lead. They added another run in the 5th inning and 2 runs in the 7th inning to take a 5-1 lead.

The Tigers’ offense once again failed to break down the Guardians’ pitching order. Following 6 strong innings from Tanner Bibee, the bullpen gave up just 1 hit in the next 3 innings and closed out the game 5-1 to hand their opponents their 8th successive loss.

Before the All-Star Break in July, the Tigers had swept the Guardians in a 3-game set. On July 8, the Guardians had a 42-48 record and were fourth in the AL Central behind the Minnesota Twins, the Kansas City Royals, and the Tigers, who had a 59-34 record.

Last week, the Guardians completed a 3-game series sweep of the Tigers and won 3 out of the 4 games against the Twins to get within 1 game. On Tuesday, they knocked down their rivals 5-2 at Progressive Field and won the season series against them to own the tiebreaker.

They also matched the record of the Tigers at 85-72. With the win on Wednesday, the Guardians now have sole possession of the AL Central division and have come all the way back to erase a 15.5-game deficit between them and the Tigers.

The Detroit-based side now faces the prospect of getting swept by their division rivals for a 2nd week running. If the Guardians do end up winning the Central division from here on, it will be the biggest comeback in MLB history to win the divisional title.

Social media reacts to Tigers blowing huge division lead

After they swept the Cleveland Guardians in July, the AL Central division seemed to be all set and done. The Detroit Tigers had a 14-game lead in the division and were in cruise control. However, things have changed drastically in the month of September.

A.J. Hinch
A.J. Hinch (Image via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

The train of the Tigers has completely gone off the tracks. Following the loss on Wednesday, the team no longer shares the lead in the division standings.

Fans on social media have gone into a frenzy since the team started collapsing. On X, several users took a shot at the team for their blown lead, with one writing, “should disband their franchise for this.” Check out that and some more reactions regarding this development below:

After their final regular-season showdown against the Guardians on Thursday, the Tigers will turn their attention towards the Boston Red Sox. The AL East side have won 2 games against the Toronto Blue Jays and would be hoping to enter the series against the Tigers with a sweep of their division rivals.

A.J. Hinch having hard time to come up with words following Tigers’ 8th successive loss

The rain is pouring heavily on the Detroit Tigers at the moment. On Wednesday, the team lost its 8th successive game. After the game, manager A.J. Hinch claimed that he was having a hard time coming up with the words to describe the situation.

Detroit Tigers' manager A.J. Hinch
A.J. Hinch (Image via NBC Sports)

After winning 2 out of the 3 games against the New York Yankees, Hinch’s side lost 2 successive games against the Miami Marlins. They would avoid the sweep with a 2-0 shutout win.

Since then, they have been on a huge losing run. They got swept by the Guardians and the Atlanta Braves at home and have now lost 2 back-to-back against their Guards. They have lost 11 of their last 12 games, leaving the front office in lots of pressure.

It’s painful. I’m having a hard time coming up with words, obviously. … What I’m seeing out of our team is not normal, but unfortunately, it’s our reality.

A.J. Hinch told the reporters

The 4-time World Series winners have a 1-game lead over the Houston Astros for the final wild card spot. If they end up in the final wild card spot after 162 games of the season, they will likely face the Guardians again next week in the best-of-three Wild Card series at Progressive Field.

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