Detroit beat the Cleveland Guardians 6-4 on Tuesday night at Comerica Park, stretching its winning streak to three and pulling itself right back into the picture. The Tigers now sit in second place in the American League Central, 2.5 games behind the Chicago White Sox, and theyâre also just a half-game behind the Texas Rangers for the third and final wild-card spot.
That position is especially eye-catching considering the moves Detroit made at the deadline, shipping pitcher Tarik Skubal to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Casey Mize to the San Diego Padres. On paper, that looked like a team easing off the gas for 2026. Instead, the Tigers are hanging around, and if this run turns into something bigger, they could wind up playing deep into October.
Jansen, though, is looking at the situation in the broadest possible terms.
âWe all had an awful start,â Jansen said, per Jason Beck of MLB.com. âIt’s a long season.
They’re going to remember you as how you finish. So what you do is big for this ballclub.
I think we’re all stepping up right now, and if we step up, I don’t think there’s anybody better than us in this division, respectfully.”
Detroitâs current push comes with a three-game series against Cleveland followed by another key set against the White Sox, and that stretch could say plenty about where this team is headed. The division remains wide open, with nobody really separating from the pack the way a front-runner usually does.
If the Tigers can keep winning through this homestand, theyâll give themselves a real shot at reaching the postseason either as division champs or through the wild-card race. Jansenâs point is simple: the finish matters most.
Detroit stumbled late last season and still managed to back into the playoffs. This year, the path could be flipped if the Tigers keep climbing instead of fading.
In Other News…
Wenceel Prez Return Just Took A Troubling Turn For Tigers
The Tigers have spent the first part of the season juggling depth all over the roster, and the catching situation is part of that picture. After moving on from Toms Nido and with Carlos Prez now on the Mud Hens injured list, Detroit added former White Sox backstop Seby Zavala on a minor league deal to give the organization another experienced option behind the plate. It is the kind of low-key move that usually only draws attention if the emergency gets worse, but for a club trying to keep its Triple-A and big league depth intact, it mattered.
Wenceel Prezs road back has taken a more concerning turn. He was recently pulled from his rehab assignment because of ongoing eyesight issues tied to the left orbital fracture he suffered, leaving his return on hold for now. For a Tigers team that has been trying to piece together as much healthy depth as possible, losing momentum on a player working his way back is a frustrating development, especially when the next step is no longer a matter of timing but of getting the vision issue settled first.
AJ Pierzynski Just Gave Tigers Fans A New Reason To Push Back
A.J. Pierzynskis take on the Tigers has stirred up a familiar kind of baseball debate: whether a team that parts with major pitching pieces should still be rewarded if it stays in the race. Detroit has remained competitive and is still viewed as a playoff contender after moving Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize, a reality that makes Pierzynskis warning feel less like a neutral observation and more like a challenge to the way the Tigers have chosen to build.
For Detroit fans, the bigger point is that the front office did not tear everything down and walk away. The Tigers have kept themselves in the conversation while making difficult roster decisions, and that alone has become part of the argument for how they should be judged. Pierzynskis comments only sharpen the tension around a club trying to prove that smart, aggressive team building can still matter even when it does not fit neatly into the old idea of how contenders are supposed to look.
Riley Greene’s Early Exit Leaves Tigers Facing A Worrying Question
Riley Greenes night ended early in the series-opener against the Guardians, a concerning turn for a Detroit lineup that leans heavily on his presence in left field. He was removed between the second and third innings after reporting discomfort, and the Tigers immediately shifted into caution mode with one of their most important everyday players.
Manager A.J. Hinch said Greene will get an off day while the club monitors the issue day by day, with a fuller evaluation coming the next day. For a Tigers team trying to keep momentum in a tight stretch, anything involving Greenes hamstring is the kind of development that can ripple beyond one game.

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