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New York Times

Tigers will go as far as their pitching takes them in the second half

DETROIT — Hard to find the right perspective here, isn't it? It's easy to fixate on what's right in front of you. The Detroit Tigers enter the All-Star break on their first four-game losing streak of the season. The Seattle Mariners came to town and bopped and demolished the team with the best record in baseball. All-Star pitchers Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize were not immune. The Mariners scored 35 runs over three days and torched a bullpen that was already wobbling on the ropes. Advertisement Even before Sunday's loss — one in which the Mariners walloped Tommy Kahnle and came from behind to win — the Tigers had a concerning 5.03 bullpen ERA since June 1. So there is the immediate wreckage of a bad series, and there is a larger trend that had been foreshadowing a meltdown like this for more than a month. There's also the positive spin and zoomed-out reality. You can be disappointed in a series and proud of the season at the same time, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. The Tigers enter the break with 59 wins, exceeding even the loftiest expectations anyone could have reasonably drawn up for this team. After Sunday's loss, right-hander Jack Flaherty stood at his locker and listed the reasons for encouragement: the record, the standings, the fact that the Tigers have six All-Stars, the resurgence of Spencer Torkelson, the redemption of Javier Báez and more. 'If you were to tell us at the beginning of the season, I think we would be pretty happy about it,' Flaherty said. 😲 — Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 13, 2025 So we're here now talking about champagne problems. How can a team with an 11 1/2-game division lead get even better? These issues are high-class, but they're also real. The state of the team's pitching could ultimately determine just how much champagne the Tigers pop in October. The power of pitching still rules this game. The Tigers proved that last season, when they got all chaotic and patched together the best pitching staff in baseball over the final two months. They came from nowhere to make the playoffs and even took down the decorated Houston Astros on their home field. In the first half this season, the Tigers proved they don't need Alex Bregman or a lineup full of big-name boppers to play with the game's elite. More offense is always nice. The ability to change the scoreboard with one swing plays in the postseason — there is a reason each of the past five World Series champions has ranked in the league's top four in home runs. Advertisement But limiting those scoreboard changes matters, too. And especially when you're constructed like the Tigers, it would still be nice — maybe even critical — to recapture a dose of last season's pitching magic. Entering Sunday, Detroit's starters have a cumulative 3.42 ERA, staging quality outings even when injuries have tested their depth. Skubal is a force of nature, Mize is pitching the best baseball of his career, and even Flaherty has bounced back from a dismal stretch in June. But the Tigers need the best version of Reese Olson, who will start the first game after the break against the Texas Rangers, to emerge. Keider Montero, though still learning to pitch at this level, has delivered respectable performances. José Urquidy looms as an option to join the club in the second half. Prospects such as Troy Melton are beginning to bang on the door. There is a case for the Tigers to get aggressive and add a starter at the July 31 trade deadline. Health is never a given. As good as Skubal has been, and solid as Mize, Olson and Flaherty can be, a second formidable starter would be a postseason luxury. We also know the Tigers can get creative, lean into matchups and generate results in nontraditional ways. Whatever path they choose with the rotation, they badly need to bolster this bullpen. The team will surely seek real help at the deadline, perhaps pursuing at least one (and quite possibly more than one) veteran who can aid a bullpen that ranks 28th in strikeout rate and last in whiff rate. The Tigers, too, need to generate help from within. In Triple-A Toledo, right-hander Beau Brieske — a marvel down the stretch in last season's run — has underperformed and is on the injured list. Do-it-all left-hander Tyler Holton has been on the path to recapturing his form but did allow a run Sunday. Chase Lee, one of the wonders of the first half, enters the break after watching his ERA jolt from 2.05 to 3.69 over two poor outings. Kanhle and Will Vest have carried a heavy load, and the cracks have started to show. Advertisement So, in the second half, can the rotation stay healthy? Will anyone emerge as this year's Brieske? Can the Tigers find another gem such as Lee? Can they deal for a pitcher dominant enough to ease the leverage workload on Vest and Kanhle? Those are the questions that might well define whether this is a truly special season or one that will leave fans with a bittersweet taste. 'We still leave for the All-Star break proud of what we're doing,' Hinch said. 'Now, this last couple of games, we just got it handed to us. We get a couple days away, and regroup, reset and start all over.' (Photo of Tommy Kahnle: Duane Burleson / Getty Images)