Tigers making gains behind AL Central dominance

CLEVELAND -- To watch the Tigers on Sunday -- or much of this weekend at Progressive Field, or even this week trekking across the Midwest -- you could swear you were watching the class of the American League Central, such as it is. And depending on your definition, you could be right.

Spencer Torkelson powered Detroit from the outset of the series finale with his seventh homer in 11 games, an opposite-field two-run shot off Guardians rookie starter Logan Allen. Kerry Carpenter added on by homering nearly from one knee in the seventh.

Eduardo Rodriguez made the lead stick, retiring Cleveland’s first nine batters with relative ease on his way to 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball to improve to 5-1 with a 1.16 ERA in seven division starts this season.

Javier Báez gave Rodriguez a hand with three highlight-reel plays at shortstop, including a diving stop deep in the hole and making a whirling throw to first on the fly off one leg. Riley Greene helped out reliever Tyler Holton with a diving catch in center, having recovered from a late read. All in all, the Tigers looked like a juggernaut in a 4-1 win.

By taking three of four on the shores of Lake Erie, the Tigers clinched the season series against Cleveland for the first time since 2015, a week after clinching the season series against the division-leading Twins for the first time since '16.

The Tigers clinched their season series against the Royals last month, and while they’re 3-4 against the White Sox, they have six meetings left in early September with a chance to take that season series for the first time since 2018. Detroit has won nine of its 12 series against division rivals this season, lost two and split its two-game set in Minnesota last Tuesday and Wednesday.

Add it up, and the Tigers have a 25-15 record against AL Central opponents. Not only is that the best in the division, it makes them one of six MLB teams -- one in each division -- at 10 or more games over .500 in divisional play.

“If you want to win your division, you have to beat your division,” said Miguel Cabrera, who received a standing ovation from Cleveland fans after singling in his final game at Progressive Field.

For years, that was the case. Head-to-head success in divisional play almost always tracked with the eventual standings. But with a more balanced schedule this year, it’s a little more complicated.

Among those six teams at 10 or more games over .500 in their division, the Tigers are the only one that doesn’t have a winning record overall. In fact, the five other teams all entered Sunday at least 10 games over .500 overall. Sunday’s win improved Detroit to 10 games under .500.

The difference, as those who have watched the Tigers this season know, is out of division. Detroit is 5-20 against the AL East, 9-13 against the AL West and 18-19 against the National League, pending their upcoming series against the Cubs.

Under last year’s unbalanced schedule with 19 games against each division opponent, Detroit’s .625 winning percentage in division would be good for 47 or 48 wins last year.

This year, with 13 games against each rival, if the Tigers keep winning at this rate, it’ll be good for 32 or 33 wins.

“The way we’re playing in the Central, I wish we played more in the Central,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “I like [the balanced schedule] as a baseball enthusiast. I like seeing all the teams. ... I think the dynamic of division play makes division play that much more important, but the reality is you have to play well against the whole league now to win your division.”

Still, surely division success is still a sign of something more than a moral victory, right?

“I don’t think there’s anything to take away, like whether we lock in more,” Torkelson said. “I think we match up really well against them, and I think right now we’re just playing good baseball, having fun, and wins come along with that.”

AL Central matchups tend to pair up youth against youth, and the recent success of Torkelson, Carpenter and Greene bodes well with that. With more young talent on the way and the farm system gaining in rankings, Detroit’s pipeline is arguably well-positioned among the division’s various youth movements.

Still, the balanced schedule isn’t going away, and the Tigers will have to fare better against the titans. The way they’re playing lately, they’re certainly not winning ugly.