Detroit Tigers pitchers are getting fenced in – or out – at the most critical juncture yet in 2026.
The Tigers have dropped three straight games with the specter of the Aug. 3 trade deadline looming. In those three losses – to the Kansas City Royals and Baltimore Orioles – Tigers pitchers have given up back-breaking home runs in the final innings.
In Saturday's 3-2 loss to K.C., Kyle Finnegan surrendered an eighth-inning homer and Jacob Waguespack gave up the eventual winning home run in the ninth. On Sunday, left-handed reliever Drew Sommers surrendered a go-aheadtwo-run home run to Royals second baseman Michael Massey with two outs in the eighth. The homer barrage on Monday, July 27, came with the Orioles ahead every time, but In total, the Tigers
have given up seven homers in three games.
In Monday's 8-5 loss to Baltimore, the Orioles answered two productive innings from Detroit with three homers: two in the fifth inning to push a lead to four runs, and then, after a two-run Tigers fifth inning, pinch-hitter Tyler O'Neill launched a solo shot in the sixth.
"It is a part of baseball and they are coming in bunches," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. "And they are coming in some really rough times. Obviously, it comes down to execution. We went through a really long stretch where we were executing pretty flawlessly, or at least covering up some of those blemishes.
"Right now, we make a mistake and they get a barrel to it, it feels like the ball's flying out of the ballpark."
This season, the Tigers (50-57) rank seventh-best in baseball in home runs allowed (108) – but the past seven have come at the worst moments.
In the two losses to the Royals, the Tigers tried clinging to narrow leads in the late innings with the bullpen. On Monday, the Orioles jumped all over right-handed starter Keider Montero for an immediate advantage.
Montero has been steady in multiple roles for the Tigers, but Monday was far from his best. The Orioles tallied nine hits on Montero for six runs (four earned) – the most he has allowed this year.
He missed too often over the middle of the plate and the Orioles feasted, with an average exit velocity of 90.6 mph, including seven instances over 95 mph. He gave up a 412-foot solo blast to Leody Taveras in the fifth before being pulled after a single by the next batter. His replacement, right-hander Brenan Hanifee, did not fare much better, giving up a two-run shot to the first batter he faced, Coby Mayo.
"What I have to do from now on is just what I always do," Montero said through Tigers interpreter Carlos Guillen. "Just learn from this and turn the page and do my best the next outing."
The three straight losses have left the Tigers stalled in both the American League Central and AL wild-card standings after spending most of June and July climbing.
The Tigers enter Tuesday four games behind the Cleveland Guardians for the last AL wild-card spot, a precarious position with the trade deadline approaching. Detroit holds some of the best potential trade chips in baseball on expiring deals (including Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal and Gleyber Torres) but the talent is still there for a late-season surge despite sitting seven games below .500 with five games before Aug. 3.
"We've got to win all of the games," left fielder Riley Greene said Monday. "Like I said, the circumstances are not really affecting our mindset or how we are playing. We are going out there and we are trying to win every game, no matter what."
Despite the three straight setbacks, the Tigers are determined to maintain some day-to-day momentum and not ride the emotional roller coaster during this stretch.
"We need to win the games," Hinch said. "We needed to win the last two games. We needed to win tonight. We are working. These guys are giving everything that they have. And you've got to keep pushing. The game will punch you in the face and you got to keep pushing."
ContactJared Ramsey at jramsey@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers pitchers face home run issues at 'really tough times'
