The Detroit Tigers have come crashing down to Earth at the worst possible time of the season, having now lost eight of their last nine games following consecutive sweeps at the hands of the divisional rival Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals.
The Tigers are now 61-69 through 130 games, and their runway toward a third straight MLB Playoff berth is quickly shrinking with each setback.
Meanwhile, adding insult to injury is the performance of former Tiger Jahmai Jones, who has been on fire since joining the Boston Red Sox. In fact, since being acquired by Boston in a mid-July trade, Jones has posted elite numbers at the plate, hitting .520 in the 16 games that he’s played.
Overall this season split between Detroit and Boston, Jones is hitting .203 with four home runs and 13 RBI along with a .644 OPS.
The Detroit Tigers Traded Jahmai Jones To The Boston Red Sox In July
GettyThe Red Sox traded a 24-year-old left-handed reliever to the Tigers before facing the Dodgers, making another roster move ahead of the series.
The initial trade, which took place on July 14, was for the Tigers to receive a player to be named at a later date. In early August, that player was revealed to be left-handed pitcher Jojo Ingrassia, whom the Red Sox chose in the 14th round of the 2023 MLB Draft.
Meanwhile, Jones admitted that he was “excited” about the trade and the prospect of playing in historic Fenway Park.
“I was really excited [about the trade],” Jones said in July via MLB.com. “Obviously, I understand what kind of baseball they’ve been playing last few weeks and the kind of history that’s been in the stadium. I watched a lot of Red Sox games, ironically, growing up, I loved Boston growing up. I loved just everything about it. So when I heard that it was happening, I was really excited to help this team out.”
While the Tigers are floundering, the Red Sox are flourishing and are in firm position to earn a playoff spot.
The Struggling Tigers Have Suffered Consecutive Sweeps
The Tigers, who were seriously flirting with an MLB Playoff spot only days ago, have faltered mightily since then after being swept by the White Sox and the Royals.
Because of their recent losses, the Tigers have fallen back to 61-69 and are now 3.5 games back of the final Wild Card position in the American League standings.
They return home for a critical home series against the Tampa Bay Rays, followed by hosting Tarik Skubal and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Former Tiger Jahmai Jones Pours Salt In The Wounds