A.J. Hinch Doesn't Hold Back After Tigers' Embarrassing Loss to Twins

The Detroit Tigers are at a low point. A few weeks ago, the Tigers were on a roll and found a late-season turnaround that fans begged for. Then, outfielder Riley Greene went on the injured list, and Detroit hasn't recovered.

Coming off a 2-4 home stand, the Tigers desperately needed a good start to the week. Instead, they lost 11-1 to the Minnesota Twins, their largest margin of defeat of the season. It's been Detroit's story all season.

They had an opportunity to show life and came out completely flat.

A.J. Hinch Gets Brutally Honest About the Loss

Detroit Tigers manager AJ Hinch. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Manager A.J. Hinch didn't hold back about the effort on Monday, according to Jason Beck of MLB.com.

"Tonight was a really bad night. So you can kind of pick any aspect: we got outplayed, and it's a bad feeling going back to the hotel tonight after a game like that," Hinch said. "Across the board, we didn't do our jobs."

The Twins grabbed a 1-0 lead and never looked back. Jackson Jobe made his fifth start since his Tommy John surgery and struggled. He allowed a solo home run to Kody Clemens in the fourth inning and a three-run homer to Ryan Jeffers, ending his night shortly after. Hinch spoke about Jobe's outing, per Beck.

"He's got to grow up and learn and continue to battle and compete, and kind of get out of tinkering with the mechanics and trying to overdo things," Hinch said. "You saw a lot of frustration from him when he wouldn't execute. He's going to learn to get to the next pitch, get to the next hitter, get to the next situation, and not have it compound on him."

But that's not the biggest issue. Jobe could've been nearly flawless, and it wouldn't have been enough. The Tigers' offense scored one run on five hits. Since August 18, Detroit has played seven games where the lineup has produced one run or fewer.

Sure, Greene's return to the lineup will help, but it's likely too late for Detroit to make anything of it. The Tigers are six games back of the final American League wild-card spot, and there are no signs of a miraculous turnaround.

Monday reaffirmed what Tigers fans have felt for the majority of the season: Disappointment in their team. Detroit has fallen short of expectations in 2026, and failing to make the playoffs in a down year for the A.L. is completely unacceptable.

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