This Tigers Streak Has Only Marginally Helped Detroit’s Playoff Case

The Detroit Tigers entered the season with a largesse of starting pitching. That perception has been tested.

Tarik Skubal has missed time. Justin Verlander has missed time. Jack Flaherty has missed time. Casey Mize has missed time. The only member of the projected five-man rotation who has made every turn so far this season is Framber Valdez. It has deeply impacted the Tigers’ ability to win games. But there’s a streak that makes it seem like the starters have affected winning more often.

Per Tigers PR, Detroit starting pitchers had allowed four or fewer earned runs in 33 straight games going into Tuesday’s game with the New York Yankees. That was tied for the longest streak in team history. But it hasn’t mattered nearly as much as hoped.

The Tigers Streak That May Not Matter

Last night's outing by Casey Mize was unlike any other in franchise history.

Across 126 years of Tigers baseball, he's the first pitcher to throw 7+ shutout innings with 10+ strikeouts, while allowing zero walks and no more than one hit. #DNMW pic.twitter.com/7WDTi3G7LX
— Tigers PR (@DetroitTigersPR) June 30, 2026

The streak started on May 24 in a doubleheader in Baltimore. It wasn’t a planned doubleheader. One of the games was rained out the day before and was hastily rescheduled so that they could complete the series. Detroit was also riding a seven-game losing streak. It grew to eight with the loss in the early game and was snapped in the late game.

After that doubleheader the Tigers were 21-33 and 10.5 games out of first place in the AL Central.

Entering Tuesday’s game with the Yankees the Tigers were 36-49 and nine games out of first place in the AL Central.

So, even though the starting pitching has done a solid job it has only trimmed the Tigers’ deficit in the division by 1.5 games. Plus, the record during that stretch is 16-17. So, what gives?

A good place to start — and finish — is to look at how many games the projected opening day rotation has won in that stretch. That would be four games. Valdez has won two games, Flaherty one game and Mize one game. Mize's win was the most recent game on Monday, and it required him to do something no pitcher in Tigers history has ever done. He became the first pitcher to throw seven or more shutout innings with 10 or more strikeouts, while allowing zero walks and no more than one hit.

That is the needle that Tigers pitching is having thread right now as the offense continues to have fits and starts. Tigers starters — including stop-gap starters like Troy Melton and Keider Montero — are keeping Detroit in games, but the offense isn’t doing enough to capitalize. Plus, the three-headed closer hasn’t been firing well, either.

When the epitaph of this season is written, Tigers fans should be kind to the starting pitching. It’s done the job, especially the last 33 games.

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