It is not time to push the panic button or even jump off the proverbial bandwagon, but the Tigers have to start playing better.
With Monday night's 5-1 loss in Chicago to the White Sox, the Tigers have won just two of their last eight games and are just 4 1/2 games ahead of the surging Cleveland Indians.
The bad omen came very early in the game when Miguel Cabrera was ejected in the middle of his first at-bat.
Cabrera had been hit by a pitch but the umpire ruled that he had swung before the ball hit him in the knee. Cabrera did not agree and when he continued to complain quietly, home plate umpire Brian Gorman tossed him.
"I was shocked because there's no reason for somebody to throw you out in the first inning like that, especially when you're in a race to win the division, especially when you need to win games, especially when you inside, you're fired up because you want to win and you want to stay with teammates all game and try to play nine innings hard," Cabrera told FOX Sports Detroit's John Keating on the post-game show.
"I think we don't deserve that. I think I don't know what I said but it's a little bit frustration because I think to myself, I let my team down when they throw me out in the first inning."
It was Cabrera's second ejection this season. He also got the heave-ho July 28 against the Phillies from umpire Chad Fairchild.
Manager Jim Leyland quickly came out to defend Cabrera and soon Gorman ejected him as well.
"The umpire, he had two calls tonight in almost identical situations. Swings at a pitch where it hit the batter, he called both of them absolutely correct," Leyland told Keating. "There's no question about that. It basically is a strike and a dead ball and Brian Gorman is a very good umpire, called them exactly right.
"After hearing Brian's explanation as to why he threw him out, I was a little upset because I did not think that warranted an ejection, by any means. He didn't curse him in any way and I know he said it two or three times, three or four times, I'm sure Brian said that's enough but I just think that after listening to the umpire's explanation, that doesn't warrant an ejection, in my opinion."
Ramon Santiago took over at third base. While Santiago is a very capable defender, he can't be counted upon to provide the same offense that Cabrera does.
Even without Cabrera, the Tigers should have had a good chance to win with Max Scherzer starting and trying for his 20th win for a third time.
When the Tigers get a quality start, they're 68-25.
But Scherzer couldn't give them one and Chris Sale did give his team one.
Scherzer allowed two runs in a 30-pitch first, settled down a bit and then lost it in the fourth, allowing three runs, one on his own throwing error.
"For me it was a do or die throw," Scherzer told Keating. "I thought with (Josh) Phegley running, it's a catcher, there was a chance I had a shot of getting him. It's a tough throw because it's always hard when you're throwing mid-90s and then pick up a ball and try to throw it a different way. I just didn't make an athletic throw, I threw it away, I cost our team another run."
Scherzer, now 19-3, only made it through four innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits while walking two and striking out six. His ERA is now 3.01.
Sale, 11-12 with a 2.90 ERA, allowed just Victor Martinez's home run in eight innings of work.
"We ran into a buzz saw with Sale," Leyland said. "We probably didn't have as good at-bats against him as we have had in the past but his stuff was nasty. That would be a long night for a lot of hitters when you see a guy that features the kind of stuff he featured (Monday)."
The Tigers won't have to contend with Sale again this series but they're going to have to do better against Erik Johnson (0-1, 4.50) and Jose Quintana (7-6, 3.30).
"Right now we're in a little bit of a funk and we're not doing enough things to win the game," Leyland said. "It's simple. I throw us all into the same barrel. You gotta manage better, you gotta pitch better, you gotta play better. We're all in this together and we're a tough team, we're a resilient team. I have a lot of confidence in this team so we'll see how it plays out."
