SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 25: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Detroit Tigers sits in the dugout before their game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on August 25, 2025 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

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The Major League Baseball Season is a marathon, and not a sprint.

The Detroit Tigers have no imminent threat to their lofty nine game over the second place Kansas City Royals in the American League Central Division.

The Tigers are in no danger of missing the playoffs.

fangraphs.com lists the Tigers with a 99.9% chance to play in the postseason.

How long the Tigers last in the playoffs is certainly debatable.

The team’s starting pitching will have to be deep enough, and good enough to overcome the best MLB teams in the playoffs.

The Tigers have played to some uneven results this season.

Here is the team’s record, month-by-month in the 2025 season:

March=1-3

April=18-9

May=19-9

June=15-11

July=11-14

August=16-12

In the first half of the season, Detroit was 59-38, with a .608 winning percentage.

The second half has not been as rosy. The team is 21-21, through September 1.

The Tigers are 44-26 at home, and 36-33 on the road.

While July was a bit of a hiccup, the Tigers have been dominating opponents a good part of the season.

One statistic really jumps off the page. The Tigers own a 20-9 record in one-run games.

Much of the Tigers success can be attributed to the tremendous pitching of Cy Young Award winning left-handed starter, Tarik Skubal.

At the start of play September 2, Skubal has a sparkling 12-4 record, with a minuscule 2.16 ERA, and 0.87 WHIP in 27 starts, covering 173 innings.

Skubal has struck out an average of 11.2 hitters per nine innings, while walking only 1.4 hitters, per nine.

In only one start, that against the Los Angeles Angels, has Skubal pitched less than five innings a game. That start came on August 8, but the Tigers still won the game.

To earn their dream of becoming World Series Champions, the Tigers will need some improvement from their entire starting rotation.

fangraphs.com lists the Tigers rotation this way:

Tarki Skubal-LHP-Age 28

Charlie Morton-RHP-Age 41

Casey Mize-RHP-Age 28

Chris Paddack-RHP-Age 29

Jack Flaherty-RHP-Age 29

If the Tigers want to make a run in the postseason, someone other than Skubal and Casey Mize will have to step up and pitch well in the playoffs.

No team can rely on only two starters in the postseason.

While Skubal has been his Cy Young self, Mize has also performed well.

Mize lost his last start, going only three innings against the Athletics.

However, he won his four previous outings, and there should be little concern about Mize not being totally prepared to shine in the playoffs.

However, questions have to be raised about the capability of Morton, Flaherty and Paddack as we enter the final month of the season.

In his September 1 start against the New York Mets, Morton was rocked.

Morton lasted 3.2 innings, yielding five hits, six earned runs, four walks, and one home run. He struck out one.

Morton was not credited with the loss, as the bullpen also imploded.

Morton now has a 5.51 ERA, with a 9-10 record, pitching for the Baltimore Orioles (23 starts) and Tigers (six starts.)

So far this season, Flaherty has a 7-13 record in 27 starts for the Tigers.

Flaherty has thrown to a 4.74 ERA, and 1.28 WHIP in 142.1 innings pitched.

Flaherty has yielded 22 home runs, and has struck out an average of 10.7 hitters per nine innings, while walking 3.3 hitters per nine.

Chris Paddack came over from the Minnesota Twins in a trade July 28.

He made 21 starts for the Twins, and now has made six starts with the Tigers. He has yielded 25 home runs this season, and has averaged only 6.2 strikeouts per nine innings. He has walked an average of 2 hitters per nine.

In his last start August 29, Chris Paddack went only 3.2 innings, yielding 5 hits, 3 earned runs, and giving up two home runs.

Lack of innings by the starters has required the Tigers bullpen to cover too many innings.

Like a couple of the starters, the bullpen arms may be tiring after the first five, plus months of the long, marathon season.

Conclusions:

The Detroit Tigers are an outstanding team, led by the steady hand of manager A J Hinch.

The Tigers have only had one really down month this year.

However, the Tigers rotation is showing signs of wilting.

The team will need at least one more quality starter to support the pitching of Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize.

If the Tigers wan to sport World Championship rings this offseason, deep starting pitching may be their key.