TIGERS KICK OFF AUGUST WITH A SWEEP

The Detroit Tigers crushed the Athletics 11-0 on a Sunday afternoon in California completing their first-ever season-series sweep against this American League opponent behind six scoreless innings of pitching from Keider Montero and four RBIs batted in by Eduardo Valencia.

Sweeping the West Coast and Keeping the Faith

What a difference a couple of days makes in baseball. Coming off the emotional whirlwind of roster shakes and trade deadline moves—including the heavy heart of parting ways with our ace—the Detroit Tigers showed us that this club still has plenty of fight left in the dugout. Sunday afternoon at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento was nothing short of a statement win.

Montero Rebounds from Baltimore Loss

Keider Montero had a great day on the mound pitching six scoreless innings while allowing only two hits and two walks to earn his eighth win of the season:

• Extreme Efficiency: Montero threw 53 of his 86 pitches for strikes, navigating 6 complete frames while facing just 4 batters over the minimum. 
• Pitch Mix & Defense: He commanded a heavy 94.5 mph sinker with an average spin rate of 2227 rpm, forcing a high volume of weak contact. He even flashed his own defensive skills by fielding a sharp combacker off the bat of Tyler Soderstrom in the first inning.
• Bouncing Back Strong: This dominant outing was a massive bounce-back performance for the young right-hander. In his previous start on July 27 against Baltimore, he surrendered 4 earned runs and 9 hits across 4.1 innings. Shrinking the hits allowed from 9 to just 2 shows exactly what he is capable of when hitting his spots.

Making History

With this 11-0 rout, the Detroit Tigers didn't just win the game—they polished off a clean 6-0 sweep of the season series against the Athletics. This marks the first time that has happened against the A's by the Tigers since they both entered the American League in its charter season of 1901.

Where We Stand

Despite the noise and the tough loss of a fan favorite player, the Detroit Tigers are refusing to back down. This third straight victory keeps us sitting right on the fringe, just 2.5 games out of the final American League wild-card spot as the team heads for Seattle. If this team wants to make a miracle run like they did a couple of summers ago, days like this Sunday prove they aren't dead yet.

SUMMER OF BETTER MADE

Michigan based Emagine Entertainment has teamed up with the iconic Detroit snack brand Better Made to launch "The Summer of Better Made," a limited-time concession collaboration bringing bold hometown flavors to moviegoers across the Midwest. The new menu features craveable concession items inspired by Better Made's classic Barbeque and Sour Cream & Onion flavors which first launched in 1973:

• Better Made Tossed Fries & Tots – seasoned with either Sour Cream & Onion or BBQ flavoring; 
• Better Made Tossed Chicken Tenders – available with Sour Cream & Onion or BBQ seasoning; 
• Better Made BBQ Pizza – Specialty pizza featuring a ranch base, six-cheese blend, seasoned fajita chicken, and Better Made BBQ seasoning.

While these Better Made Snacks flavors have been around since the year I was born, these specialty concession stand treats will only be available for a limited time during the Summer of Better Made. These craveable concession snacks will be available while supplies last at all Emagine Theatre locations in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. To find an Emagine Theatre location click here. 

TIGERS TRADE TARIK SKUBAL TO DODGERS

Well it official ... Topps Now has released a Motown to Tinseltown card highlighting the Detroit Tigers trade of their pitching ace Tarik Skubal to the LA Dodgers. This limited run baseball card is only available through August 3 so if you want to get your hands on one don't wait to put an order in. A few lucky people will get sent cards personally autographed by the pitcher randomly inserted into card orders that are mailed out by Topps. While that would be a cool autograph to be surprised by when your card arrives in the mail, I'm too bummed about this trade to add this Topps Now card to my collection.

I did buy two Max Clark Topps Now cards over the weekend highlighting that Tiger's Call Up to the Big Leagues and his first home run. There was some good news over the weekend involving the Detroit Tigers with this young prospect showing no signs of stage fright in his MLB debut. While losing Skubal was a gut-punch, Detroit does have a nice developing core of young talent that hopefully will lead to long-term success for the team and they just added a few new ones to the equation.

For the last three years, Skubal wasn't just our best arm—he was the best pitcher in the entire sport, boasting a ridiculous 2.46 ERA over 93 starts since 2023. Even after a mid-season elbow procedure to clear out bone chips, he returned to the mound throwing absolute gas and dominant stuff, posting a 2.79 ERA with 116 strikeouts this season. When he walked off the mound at Comerica Park last week to a roaring standing ovation, it felt like he was supposed to lead our young core for the next decade. Instead, he’s heading to Los Angeles to join Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and a luxury-tax-bloated roster trying to secure a World Series three-peat. The rich get richer, and Detroit is left holding a bag of "potential."

As much as this trade makes your blood boil, the Tigers' president of baseball operations, Scott Harris, was backed into a corner. The writing has been on the wall ever since Skubal and his agent, Scott Boras, won a massive $32 million arbitration case against the Tigers. Skubal is a pending free agent looking for a historic $400 million megadeal.

Detroit's front office tried to double down on competing this winter by signing Framber Valdez and bringing back Justin Verlander, but the Tigers brutal 6-22 collapse in May derailed the season. Even though they fought back within 2.5 games of an AL Wild Card spot this weekend, ownership looked at the long-term landscape and panicked about losing a generational ace for nothing but a compensatory draft pick.

Did the Tigers get fleeced? Early consensus from national analysts says the Dodgers pulled this off without surrendering their absolute top-tier talent, which feels like a slap in the face.However, there is high-ceiling talent coming back to the 313:

Zyhir Hope (OF): The headliner of the deal. At just 21 years old, he has been tearing up Double-A, slashing .293/.369/.530 with 23 home runs and 18 stolen bases. He brings explosive left-handed power and elite speed to our future outfield.

If you are looking for a reason to forgive the front office for trading Skubal, Zyhir Hope is that reason. He provides Detroit with a potential perennial 3-plus-wins above replacement (WAR) player, All-Star caliber outfielder. A 3.0 WAR season is a highly respected benchmark that separates standard starters from the upper echelon of the league. National analysts project his Major League ETA around late 2027. Paired alongside Riley Greene and Max Clark, Hope gives the Tigers one of the most terrifying, athletic future outfields in the entire American League

River Ryan (RHP): A 27-year-old righty who already tasted the big leagues in 2024 (1.33 ERA in four starts) before undergoing Tommy John surgery. He's coming off a hamstring injury but has a high-spin arsenal and is essentially major-league ready to fill Skubal’s vacancy in the rotation.

Despite his age and recent elbow reconstruction, scouts remain enamored with Ryan because his arm is physically fresh from having thrown very few career innings. He features a lethal five-pitch mix that centers heavily on creating weak, groundball contact. Ryan has top-of-the-rotation stuff and is essentially an MLB-ready starter once his hamstring heals. Because he missed so much time, he still possesses rookie eligibility. Detroit essentially targeted him to immediately step into Skubal's empty rotation spot, giving the team a fiercely competitive, cost-controlled starter for the next five seasons.

Brady Smith (RHP): A 21-year-old former high school third-round pick who has logged a steady 3.88 ERA in Class-A this year. A developmental arm with great underlying metrics.

Smith throws from an athletic, explosive three-quarters arm slot that tunnels his pitches exceptionally well. His arsenal underwent a massive transformation during his injury rehab:

• The Changeup (Grade: 60): “MLB Pipeline grades his mid-80s changeup as the best thing he throws — a 60, with fade and sink, and the ability to land it for a strike or bury it for a chase.” It serves as his primary weapon to draw heavy whiffs.
• The Fastball (Grade: 55): Sits comfortably at 93–96 mph and routinely touches 98 mph. It generates great "ride" and carry at the top of the zone.
• The Breaking Ball Portfolio: He is currently tinkering with an upper-80s slider, a low-90s cutter, and an upper-70s curveball. All three are considered works-in-progress but show flashing potential.
• The Catch: Control (Grade: 45). He walked 30 batters in 74.1 innings this year, and his command can wander when his mechanics get out of sync

Tigers fans should view Brady Smith as a high-reward lottery ticket. He has frontline starter stuff, but his timeline is a slow burn with an estimated major league ETA of 2029. If Detroit’s pitching coaches can refine his command and unlock consistency in his breaking pitches, they have a dominant, high-strikeout machine on their hands.

It is exhausting being a fan of a mid-market team. The minute a homegrown player achieves true greatness, the countdown clock starts ticking until they are inevitably lured away by the coastal giants.

We will miss the fist pumps, the high-90s fastballs, and the absolute competitive fire Skubal brought to every single start. Go get your ring, Tarik. You earned it. As for us in Detroit, we'll turn our attention to the kids and cross our fingers that this "River of Hope" eventually turns into a championship parade.

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TIGERS FEAST ON ORIOLES

The Detroit Tigers completely demolished the Baltimore Orioles 14-0 at Comerica Park on July 28th pulling off the rare feat of scoring a run in every single inning they batted.

The Daily Stripe: Tigers Make Baseball History in 14-0 Rout of Orioles!

What did we just witness, Tigers faithful? After dropping three straight games, our boys didn’t just bounce back—they made baseball history! In a game that will be talked about for years, the Detroit Tigers became the 22nd team in Major League history to score in every single inning they came to bat. A 14-0 shutout win over Baltimore is exactly the kind of mid-summer madness this fanbase needed.

The Hit Parade: Inning-by-Inning Perfection

To score in every frame requires complete, unrelenting offensive focus, and the box score from MLB.com looks like a video game:

• 1st Inning: Colt Keith sets the tone early with a blistering two-run triple. (2-0)
• 2nd Inning: Eduardo Valencia launches his first home run of the night, bringing in three runs. (5-0)
• 3rd Inning: Valencia stays hot, driving in Keith on an RBI single. (6-0)
• 4th Inning: Gleyber Torres hits a towering two-run shot to left-center. (8-0)
• 5th Inning: Rookie Kevin McGonigle lines an RBI single to plate Valencia. (9-0)
• 6th Inning: Spencer Torkelson joins the party with a deep sacrifice fly. (10-0)
• 7th Inning: Torres gets his 5th RBI on a groundout, followed by a Ben Malgeri RBI single. (12-0)
• 8th Inning: Catcher Chadwick Tromp nearly ends the streak for Baltimore by getting two quick outs, but Zach McKinstry doubles, setting up Valencia to hit his second homer of the night over the left-field fence! (14-0)

Eduardo Valencia called up from Toledo tonight to replace Jake Rogers as the backup catcher on the roster was the clear star of the night, finishing a monstrous 4-for-5 with two home runs and four RBIs. Right behind him was Gleyber Torres, who absolutely punished Orioles pitching by driving in five runs.

Let's not overlook Kevin McGonigle either—the kid reached base five times and scored four runs, completely setting the table all night.

Troy Melton Silences the O's

With 14 runs on the board, it's easy to forget about the defense, but Troy Melton was magnificent on the mound. He tossed seven scoreless innings, surrendering just three hits and striking out five. Melton is now 3-1 with an absurd 1.09 ERA over his last seven starts. Ty Madden came out of the bullpen to lock down the final two innings, preserving the flawless combined shutout.

Can We Keep This Momentum?

This win lifts the Tigers record to 51-57. While we are still fighting uphill in the wild-card race, this historic performance proves what this offense is capable of when everything clicks.

Detroit closes out the three-game series on Wednesday afternoon. Our ace Tarik Skubal (7-5, 2.70 ERA) takes the mound against Baltimore's Trevor Rogers (6-7, 4.17 ERA). Let's win the series, boys! Eat 'em up, Tigers!

MAKE SURE YOU'RE PROTECTED WHEN YOU'RE ON THE ROAD

Whenever you go out on the road, you want to make sure that you are as protected as possible. We understand that for some people they think that as long as they are in control of the vehicle, this makes them safe on the road, and this is true to an extent. Being present when you’re driving shouldn’t be negotiable, but even when you are there is still a chance that things could go wrong, and it’s important that you are as protected as possible.

So, let’s look at some of the ways that you can ensure you are safe and protected each time you get out on the road:

Safety Features On The Car 

First, we’re going to look at safety features on the car. When you purchase your car, you want to make sure that it has as many safety features as possible as you’re going to be relying on them later down the line.

Make sure that you’re looking into all of them, otherwise you could be in trouble when something goes wrong out there. Most cars come with safety features as standard these days, but if there are any that you don’t have but do want, speak to the dealer before you purchase.

Insure Your Vehicle 

Another thing that you should be doing is insuring your vehicle. Now, it’s actually illegal to drive without insurance on your vehicle, but even if we were to put that to the side, you need insurance anyway in case something happens to your car. You need to think about how much it could cost to fix your car, or the other persons, if you end up in an accident of some sort. 

Insurance covers this if this happens, with you only having to pay the excess which is important, so you need to have this cover. Again, it’s illegal not to, so make sure that you do.

Roadside Assistance

Finally, we’re going to be taking a look at roadside assistance. When your car breaks down and you have no way to move it, you are going to need assistance to come and get you, but you don’t want to have to pay through the nose for this. As such, you should have Seat roadside assistance if this is your make, or whatever other roadside assistance policy you want to have.

As long as you have someone who is going to come and help you when you are stuck at the side of the road, and you’re not going to have to panic if your bank account is empty, that’s what matters. 

I hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the things that you should be doing to ensure that you are safe and protected when you are on the road. Take your time, and make sure that you go through each thing on this list, making sure that you have what you need before you get back in your vehicle and drive it again.

ORIOLES LET HOMERUNS FLY AGAINST TIGERS

The Tigers suffered a Monday night 8-5 loss to the Baltimore Orioles extending their losing streak to three games and putting a damper on Detroit's pursuit of an American League Wild Card slot for the post-season. 

Well, fellow Tiger fans, that one stung. Just as we were starting to feel the good vibes of a mid-summer push, the Baltimore Orioles rolled into Comerica Park and showed us exactly how brutal the playoff race can be. It was a frustrating series opener where every single mistake we made found its way over the outfield wall. Our bats fought hard to keep us in it, tallying 11 hits overall, but the pitching staff just couldn't hold down a suddenly homer-happy Baltimore lineup.

Here is how the numbers shook out in Monday's series opener:

• The Pitching Woes: Keider Montero (7-6) took the loss, getting tagged for a season-high 6 runs (4 earned) on 9 hits across 4.1 innings. The bullpen didn't offer much relief early on, as Brenan Hanifee and Tyler Holton both surrendered costly long balls right after Montero exited.
• The Counterpunch That Fizzled: Give credit to the offense—they didn't lay down. Zach McKinstry stayed hot, ripping his third triple of the year in the second inning to jumpstart our first run. In the fourth, an infield single by Hao-Yu Lee (extending his hitting streak to 12 games!) and a Matt Vierling sacrifice fly brought us within one.
• The Inability to Contain: Every time we got close, Baltimore answered with authority. In the fifth, Leody Taveras launched a solo shot, and Coby Mayo followed with a crushing two-run homer off Hanifee to push their lead to 7-3. We clawed back to 7-5 via a Spencer Torkelson sacrifice fly and a McKinstry RBI single, but Tyler O'Neill put it out of reach with a pinch-hit homer in the sixth.
• Bullpen Shutdown: Baltimore's relievers completely stifled our bats over the final four innings, leaving us stranded without a single run against Grant Wolfram, Yennier Cano, Andrew Kittredge, or closer Rico Garcia.

With this loss dropping us to a 50-57 record, the clock is ticking loudly for A.J. Hinch and the front office. We are now 4 games back from the final Wild Card spot, and with the August 3 trade deadline just days away, management faces some agonizing choices on whether to buy, sell, or stand pat.

As Riley Greene put it post-game: "All of these are must-win games. We have to win all of them." Let's shake this one off, get behind the boys, and hope the pitching can flip the script tomorrow.

BULLPEN HEARTBREAK AT COMERICA PARK

I am absolutely sick to my stomach writing about today's game at Comerica Park. The Detroit Tigers dropped a brutal 5-4 decision to the Kansas City Royals. For the second straight afternoon, our makeshift bullpen completely fell apart late and flushed a gritty, hard-fought comeback down the drain. Instead of securing a massive series win over a division opponent, we settle for a disappointing 2-2 series split.

The loss drops our record to 50-56 more than midway through the 2026 campaign. With the August 3 trade deadline looming in exactly one week, these are the exact types of gut-wrenching losses that make the front office hesitate to buy—especially as they weigh whether to shop or hold onto our ace, Tarik Skubal.

A Sputtering Start for Framber

Let’s be honest: Framber Valdez didn't have his best stuff out of the gate. On the very first pitch of the game, Lane Thomas launched a solo shot over the right-field wall to make it 1-0. A rough fielding error by Hao-Yu Lee later in the frame gifted the Royals a second run. By the time Luke Maile smacked an RBI double in the fourth, the Tigers were staring down a 3-0 deficit. Valdez battled to limit the damage through 5.0 innings, giving up 3 runs (2 earned), but our offense looked entirely lifeless against Kansas City's Luinder Avila.

The Magical Fifth-Inning Rally

Just when I was ready to throw my remote at the television, the bats finally woke up in the bottom of the fifth. We strung together three straight hits to load the bases, and the young guys showed exactly why we love this core.

Colt Keith and Hao-Yu Lee scampered home on a soft ball up the middle by Riley Greene, aided by an Andrew Velazquez fielding error to pull us within one. Moments later, our All-Star catcher Dillon Dingler delivered the biggest blow of the day, driving a sharp two-run single past Matt Strahm’s head to cap off a four-run explosion and give us a 4-3 lead. Comerica Park was absolutely rocking!

The Bullpen Meltdown

Ty Madden came out of the bullpen and looked fantastic, throwing 1.2 innings of hitless ball to bridge the gap. But leaving the bases loaded without adding any insurance runs in the later frames ultimately left us playing with fire.

In the top of the eighth, A.J. Hinch turned to lefty Drew Sommers. With two outs and a runner on, Royals pinch-hitter Michael Massey stepped to the plate and absolutely crushed a 399-foot, two-run blast into the right-field seats. Just like that, the lead evaporated, and a 4-3 advantage flipped into a miserable 5-4 deficit.

Heartbreak in the Ninth

We didn't go down without a fight. In the bottom of the ninth, Hao-Yu Lee and Colt Keith reached safely to put runners on first and second with nobody out against Steven Cruz. The stage was set for a walk-off celebration. Instead, McGonigle flew out, Gleyber Torres struck out swinging, and Steven Cruz blew a nasty cutter right past Riley Greene for a strike out to end the ballgame.

Looking Ahead

This one hurts deeply, but there's no time to hang our heads. We open up a crucial three-game home stand on Monday night against the Baltimore Orioles. Keider Montero (7-5, 3.14 ERA) takes the mound for us. Let's put this series behind us, get out to Comerica Park, and back our boys!