Tigers chasing down Twins for final AL wild-card spot

Entering play on Tuesday, the Detroit Tigers (78-73) trail the Minnesota Twins (79-71) by only 1.5 games for the final wild-card spot in the American League . That lead was 9.5 games as recently as Aug. 22, but Detroit has trimmed it down to striking distance ahead of the final 12 days of the regular season.

This is a Tigers team that, at the trade deadline, was a seller and traded away starting pitcher Jack Flaherty, first baseman Mark Canha, catcher Carson Kelly and high-leverage reliever Andrew Chafin, trades that made it seem like Detroit was giving up on the season and looking ahead to the 2025 campaign and beyond. That has been the exact opposite of what has happened since those moves were made.

So what exactly has gone right for Detroit since then? Most importantly, Detroit is 25-13 since the Aug. 6 trade deadline . Going back to as soon as Aug. 11, Detroit is 20-8, which is the best record in MLB since that day.

A big reason for the 2.46 ERA from Detroit's pitching staff would be AL Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal. Since the All-Star break, Skubal has posted a 6-1 record with a 2.67 ERA and 74 strikeouts across 67 innings pitched . For the season, Skubal is 16-4 with a 2.50 ERA and 214 strikeouts across 180 innings pitched.

Offensively for the Tigers, it has been the emergence of centerfielder Parker Meadows as the team's leadoff hitter that has sparked Detroit over the last 35 games. Meadows is putting up outstanding numbers since his return from the IL on Aug. 3 and has been the offensive centerpiece that Detroit needed.

The Tigers are currently in a three-game series with the Kansas City Royals, and the Twins are in a four-game series against the first-place Cleveland Guardians. The remaining schedule doesn't lean either way, as both teams still play the Baltimore Orioles, who have the eighth-best record in baseball.

It is worth noting that Minnesota does in fact hold the tiebreaker over Detroit, so if the two teams were to finish with an identical record, Minnesota would get the nod and claim the final wild-card spot.

This will be a fun race to keep an eye on over the last 12 days of the season.