Skubal, Tigers collapse; caught by Guardians

CLEVELAND -- It happened fast. And without a shot adjacent leaving the infield. The Detroit Tigers took a 2-0 pb into the bottommost of the sixth inning successful a important crippled against the Cleveland Guardians connected Tuesday lone to spot their ace autumn isolated connected the mound successful respective antithetic and melodramatic ways.

"We did a batch of uncharacteristic things, and it's hurting us," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said aft the Tigers' 5-2 loss.

First, Tarik Skubal tried to flip a bunted shot done his legs with his backmost to archetypal base, lone to spot it sail implicit teammate Spencer Torkelson's head, putting runners connected 2nd and third. It was the 2nd of 2 consecutive bunts by the Guardians, who came into the nighttime trailing the Tigers by conscionable 1 crippled aft being down arsenic galore arsenic 10 1/2 connected Sept.1.

After a 3rd bunt successful the inning went awry -- Skubal's 99 mph fastball struck designated hitter David Fry successful the face, and helium had to beryllium carted disconnected -- Skubal threw a chaotic transportation and past balked. Both of those led to runs.

Game. Set. Match. The Tigers person been caught successful the AL Central.

"There's immoderate frustration," Skubal said. "Losing isn't fun, and we've been losing a lot."

Hinch added: "He chose to bash the exigency flip [through his legs], which is not casual to bash and didn't nutrient a bully play. That is an illustration of an uncharacteristic mistake piling up connected america astatine the worst time."

That's an understatement. The American League's champion squad successful the archetypal fractional has fallen hard, losers of 7 successful a row. Not lone did the Guardians drawback Detroit successful the standings but they besides secured the tiebreaker, successful lawsuit the teams lucifer records erstwhile the regular play ends aboriginal this weekend. Nothing is going close for the Tigers.

"We didn't play our crippled tonight," catcher Dillon Dingler said. "I cognize that's redundant to accidental implicit the past 2 weeks.

"We've been this mode for a mates bid now. We decidedly consciousness immoderate of the pressure. We person to destruct it. We person to find ways to enactment escaped and location successful connected what we person to bash and spell retired determination and bash it."

The Tigers played that portion of being escaped earlier the bid opener: Skubal was moving connected his crossword puzzle, others were playing ping pong, portion Hinch was advocating a affirmative perspective. Who wouldn't privation to beryllium playing meaningful games and power their ain destiny, helium opined successful the dugout respective hours earlier archetypal pitch. But past the crippled started, and a triumph erstwhile again slipped done their hands.

And if those sixth-inning miscues weren't enough, the Tigers besides struck retired 19 times. That tied a franchise grounds for Cleveland pitchers.

"They won the onslaught portion connected some sides tonight," Hinch said. "They dominated tonight. We didn't."

The days are moving dangerously debased for Detroit to crook things around. Cleveland has each the momentum. Playing astatine location didn't assistance the Tigers past week, nor did a alteration of scenery Tuesday with their ace connected the mound. But they inactive power their destiny adjacent though their aboriginal is arsenic muddied arsenic ever. A wild-card berth oregon possibly a stunning ouster altogether from the postseason are increasing possibilities.

"Have to amusement up time and triumph a shot game," outfielder Riley Greene said. "We judge successful each other. We person to play amended shot and we person to win. That's what it comes down to."