The Detroit Tigers didn’t make things easy for themselves as they blew a huge lead in the American League Central over the last few weeks, handing the division crown to the Cleveland Guardians.
That said, the Tigers ultimately got themselves into the playoffs over the weekend, which is all that matters at this point. Now, the Tigers hope to put their September woes behind them, as they’ll face the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Wild Card series.
The Guardians have the Tigers’ number, winning six-straight over Detroit, which is not what fans want to hear. However, Detroit can quickly change the narrative about itself in Game 1 on Tuesday. But for that to happen, they will need All-Star outfielder Riley Greene to play and look like the guy we saw in the first half of the regular season.
Tigers Need Riley Greene to Play Like an All-Star in MLB Playoffs
The left-handed-hitting outfielder was playing out of this world in the first half of the season en route to being named to his second MLB All-Star Game. The 25-year-old Greene hit a fantastic .284 with 24 home runs and 78 RBI in 95 games.
Greene’s success at the plate helped the Tigers get out to a huge lead in the AL Central and put them into the conversation as World Series contenders.
However, in the second half of the regular season, the young outfielder fell on hard times, which coincided with the Tigers’ slow fall from grace. Greene slugged a mediocre .218 with 12 homers and 33 RBI across 62 games.
Greene’s OPS dipped from .879 to .694 in the second half, and he wasn’t splitting the gaps and getting extra base hits (10 doubles compared to 21 in the first).
In fact, September was a month to forget for the young slugger. He hit a disappointing .195 with four homers and 10 RBI, while posting a .618 OPS. Greene struggled to put the bat on the ball (17 hits, lowest of any month this season), which didn’t quell the fears of Tigers fans down the stretch.
Now, Greene heads into the postseason looking to wipe the slate clean and improve from his performance at the plate during last year’s playoffs (.231 with a double and RBI in seven games).
It doesn’t help that the Guardians have his number during the regular season (.136 with three home runs, four RBIs, and 20 strikeouts). But he did hit 36 home runs this year, which is no fluke.
Therefore, if Greene can get hot in the fifth spot and get on base, it could give this Tigers’ team a much-needed jolt to hopefully make a deep run. It will also make life easier for a guy like Spencer Torkelson, who will have to help carry this Detroit offense.