Riley Greene all but confirms Guardians broke the Tigers once and for all

The Detroit Tigers have blown an 11-game division lead to the rival Cleveland Guardians in September. Those same Tigers were up as many as 15.5 games on July 8, and 9.5 games on Sept. 10. In a matter of weeks, Detroit has gone from competing for the top spot in the American League to potentially missing the postseason altogether. When asked of their impending collapse, most of the Tigers best players are lost for words.

What's most impressive – or depressing, depending on which team you root for – about the Tigers streak isn't just that they're losing, but how they are doing so. Tuesday's defeat brought new surprises. Tarik Skubal cruised through six innings of work, only to give up three runs thanks to a balk, HBP and an attempted throw between his legs to first base which quickly became an unforgivable error. Detroit's lineup struck out 19 times, which has been a consistent problem for them down the stretch.

"It's baseball, it is what it is," Greene said, brushing off the question from a Detroit reporter. "They're good, they have good arms and they threw the ball well. We gotta have better at-bats. It is what it is."

The full clip of a defeated Greene, who as recently as two weeks ago didn't sound all that concerned about his record-pace strikeout rate, proves this Tigers team is battling their own internal demons as well as the Guardians on the field.

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Riley Greene's and Tigers strikeouts are becoming a problem

Whether it be leaving runners on-base or striking out in less-than-ideal situations, the Tigers lineup has not been up to par for much of their September collapse. Greene, who tied Prince Fielder's strikeout record in early Sept., didn't seem all that concerned about his wasted at-bats back when Detroit had a comfortable lead in the Central. In fact, you'll notice a familiar phrase he used to brush off the Tigers' problem: It is what it is.

“Exactly,” Greene said with a laugh. “I don’t want to hear about it. Just put that name next to mine...There was a stretch where I got my swing off and I struck out a bunch. There’s a stretch where I’m not striking out, but I haven’t hit as many homers. I don’t know if those go hand in hand; maybe they do, maybe they don’t. But it is what it is. You’re going to do it in baseball.”

What Greene and the Tigers didn't expect was to be locked in a battle for the division this late in the campaign. Eventually, such misdeeds are bound to catch up with any team, even those potentially bound for the postseason. Greene is finding that out the hard way.

If the Tigers are broken, can they be fixed?

The short answer is yes. The Tigers were among the best teams in baseball through nearly two-thirds of the season, and then hit a wall. However, coming back from such a monumental collapse will be tough. Detroit may have to rely on Skubal – the same pitcher who threw away a win in the seventh inning of Tuesday night's loss – again to end the year if they haven't yet clinched the division. As of this writing, the Tigers are tied with the Guardians, though Cleveland owns the tiebreaker. If Skubal pitches on short rest to end the season, there's a good chance he won't be available to start in the AL Wild Card series, which the Tigers are now slotted to play in behind the No. 2 seed Seattle Mariners.

If you couldn't tell by Greene's monologue, and the numerous other comments from those of influence in the Tigers locker room like manager AJ Hinch, this team has been punched right in the gut. A victory in Cleveland on Wednesday or Thursday would go a long way in restoring their confidence, but every defeat feels one step closer to cementing Detroit's legacy as one of the biggest choke artists in baseball history.