Detroit Tigers’ Red-Hot Resurgence: How 2025 Breakout Stars Are Fueling a Playoff Push

CHICAGO – The Detroit Tigers’ late-summer surge hit a wet speed bump Tuesday night, but manager A.J. Hinch’s club still walked out of Guaranteed Rate Field feeling optimistic about its postseason push. After nearly two hours of rain delays, the Tigers fell 9-6 to the Chicago White Sox in a game that saw the home team plate five runs in a decisive fifth inning. Key moments • Rookie catcher Dillon Dingler stayed hot, lining a two-run single in the third to give Detroit an early 3-1 edge. Dingler is slashing .321/.397/.500 since his July call-up, quickly earning starts over veteran Carson Kelly. • Yoendrys Gómez, making just his second big-league start, limited the Tigers to three hits through four but unraveled when a downpour forced a 56-minute stoppage. Hinch stuck with lefty Tyler Alexander after the delay, and Chicago pounced with five straight base-runners. • Spencer Torkelson blasted his 24th homer in the eighth, cutting the deficit to three and extending his on-base streak to 27 games. Standings snapshot Despite the loss, Detroit (63-55) remains 1.5 games behind Minnesota for first place in the AL Central and holds the second AL Wild Card by half a game over Seattle. The Tigers are 16-9 since the All-Star break, thanks largely to a rotation that owns a 2.97 ERA in that span. Weather forces quick turnaround Because of Tuesday’s delay, Wednesday’s series finale has been shifted to a 2:10 p.m. CT first pitch, creating a virtual double-header feel with the club’s charter flight home and Thursday’s makeup game against the Dodgers at Comerica Park. Right-hander Casey Mize (10-6, 3.42) will oppose Chicago southpaw Garrett Crochet (8-7, 3.90). Rotation dominoes Hinch confirmed Tarik Skubal will be pushed to Friday to preserve an extra day’s rest. The 28-year-old ace leads MLB in FIP (2.41) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.8) among qualified starters, positioning himself as a top-three Cy Young candidate. Bullpen boost incoming Set-up man Alex Faedo (forearm fatigue) tossed a scoreless inning for Triple-A Toledo on Monday and is expected to be activated this weekend. Detroit relievers own the league’s best ERA (2.71) since June 1, but the unit has been taxed for 11⅔ innings over the first two games of the Chicago series. Prospect watch Third-base prospect Jace Jung continues to mash at Triple-A, reaching base four times Tuesday. Club officials indicated the 23-year-old could arrive when rosters expand Sept. 1, adding left-hand pop to a lineup that ranks 11th in the AL in OPS against right-handed pitching. What’s next After Thursday’s one-off with Los Angeles, Detroit embarks on a seven-game homestand against the Royals and Rangers, two clubs currently under .500. With their next nine contests coming against teams with losing records, the Tigers have a prime window to seize first place before a brutal September slate that features the Yankees, Blue Jays and Guardians. Bottom line Tuesday’s soggy setback did little to dampen Detroit’s broader momentum. If the rotation continues to miss bats and young hitters like Dingler and Torkelson keep producing, the Tigers’ first playoff berth since 2014 is firmly within reach.