The Detroit Tigers said all the right things following Monday night’s 11-1 loss to the division rival Minnesota Twins, and many expected them to respond with a renewed effort on Tuesday, especially with a mathematical chance to remain in the postseason race.
Instead, Tuesday night proved even worse than Monday’s defeat, as the Tigers were routed 15-2 at Target Field. Detroit also endured its first 10-run inning since 2015, with Minnesota erupting for 10 runs in the sixth inning in what became a complete nightmare for the Tigers.
Adding to the misery was a critical throwing error from Dillon Dingler, opening the door for a floodgate of offense from Minnesota.
Following the loss, which dropped their record to 63-75, manager AJ Hinch accurately described the feeling in the clubhouse.
“We didn’t execute on the mound,” Hinch said. “We made a tough play when we had an easy out on the rundown, and they exploded against both Melton and Finnegan. So we’ve got to keep working. I mean, it’s a pretty low feeling just because we’re not in a good place right now, and we’re not executing the way that we’re accustomed to.”
A Critical Error From Dillon Dingler Doomed The Detroit Tigers
Dingler looked like anything but a Gold Glove winning catcher with his critical throwing error, directly leading to three runs against and later setting up three run bombs from both Royce Lewis and Ryan Jeffers.
“My perspective was that you know (Dingler) got him running back, and then was in between steps when he threw it,” Hinch said. “And it was high from the get-go. So you know he’s running with all the gear and mask still on, and with no play at the plate, he’s trying to get him back towards third, and just didn’t execute the throw.”
Adding even more insult to injury right now is the fact that the Tigers are in the midst of a seven-game losing skid against their divisional rivals, the longest such since an eight-game skid that spanned both the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
The Tigers Are Fading Fast
With their loss, the Tigers have now gone winless in 14 of their last 17 games dating back to mid-August, and are now 12 games back of the .500 mark in the American League standings.
AJ Hinch Admits The Truth After Latest Tigers Blowout Loss