The Detroit Tigers have passed the Minnesota Twins to claim the third and final spot in the American League wild-card race, with six games remaining. To get there, the Tigers posted a 27-11 record in their last 38 games, all while the Twins and Kansas City Royals have fallen apart. The postseason odds went from 0.2% on Aug. 11 to 70.7% on Sept. 23. Andy Dirks, former Tigers player and current TV analyst, joins to discuss the hottest team in baseball, as well as what to expect in the final six games. Everyone on the roster deserves credit, but which players have contributed the most to the sustained success? Another thing: Do the Tigers already have a core in place for the 2025 season?

Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.

Read Evan's most recent work here

The Detroit Tigers won four of six games on their latest homestand against the Colorado Rockies and Baltimore Orioles, giving them 22 wins in their last 32 games. The Tigers trail the Minnesota Twins by 2.5 games — which is 3.5 games considering the tiebreaker — in the race for the third and final spot in the American League wild card, with 12 games remaining. Can the Tigers actually catch the Twins? Turns out, the Twins have lost 17 of their last 26 games. We check in with Bobby Nightengale Jr., the Twins beat writer for the Minnesota Star Tribune, to find out what's happening to the Twins, from three young starters struggling to two veteran hitters returning from injuries. We also discuss the Tigers' near-perfect bullpen since Aug. 11, dominant pitching performances from Keider Montero and Brant Hurter, the return of Reese Olson from the injured list, and Jackson Jobe's Triple-A Toledo debut.

Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.

Read Evan's most recent work here

The Detroit Tigers traveled to the West Coast and won three of six games against the San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics. The chase for the postseason continues, as the Tigers are 3½ games behind the Minnesota Twins for the third and final spot in the American League wild-card. However, the Tigers actually sit even further behind the Twins in the wild-card race because of the new tiebreaker rule, which has been in place since 2022 when the playoffs expanded from 10 teams to 12 teams. After talking playoffs, Tigers radio analyst Bobby L. Scales II joins to discuss the high-quality plate appearances, the young core emerging on offense and the clutch gene of Parker Meadows. To wrap up, Mark and Evan provide updates on Reese Olson (right shoulder strain) and Wenceel Pérez (left oblique strain) on their rehab assignments with Triple-A Toledo.

Follow Mark on X/Twitter here.

Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.

Read Evan's most recent work here

The Detroit Tigers continue their winnings ways, clinching 15 of their last 21 games. Coming out of Labor Day, the Tigers are five games out of the third and final wild-card spot in the American League, looking up at the Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins. What will it take for the Tigers to surpass one of those teams? Regardless, does the wild-card race change anything about how the Tigers plan to approach the offseason? To get to this point, the Tigers utilized their pitching depth to win games in August despite having just two traditional starters, thanks to the strategy created by president of baseball operations Scott Harris. Manager A.J. Hinch explains the role of the bulk reliever, as well as how it helps the Tigers win games. As for one of the starters, Tarik Skubal is running away with the AL Cy Young Award, but how dominant has he been compared to pitchers of the past? (Hint: It's one of the best seasons in nearly 60 years.)

Follow Mark on X/Twitter here.

Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.

Read Evan's most recent work here

The Detroit Tigers beat up the White Sox in Chicago as part of a seven-game road trip to the Windy City against the Cubs and White Sox. Are the White Sox the worst team we've ever seen? It's quite possible. More importantly, can the Tigers exceed a .500 record in the 2024 season? The lineup features three new regular players in Dillon Dingler, Jace Jung and Trey Sweeney. How do those newcomers fit with mainstays like Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter and Colt Keith? Also, is Spencer Torkelson ever going to stay hot? After the break, Nick Pollack, the founder of PitcherList, joins the Days of Roar podcast to discuss the Cy Young-caliber season of Tarik Skubal, who ranks first in ERA (2.58), first in wins (15) and tied for first in strikeouts (193) among MLB pitchers. His best pitch is the changeup, but it's a seam-shifted wake changeup. Pollack explains exactly what that is. He also discusses other topics about the Tigers' pitching department, including Keider Montero, Reese Olson, Casey Mize, Matt Manning and players to target in upcoming free agency. To wrap up, we discuss the MLB debut of Ty Madden and if injured shortstop Javier Báez has played his final game with the Tigers.

Follow Mark on X/Twitter here.

Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.

Read Evan's most recent work here

The Detroit Tigers are playing their best baseball in a long time, winning six of seven games. This week, the Tigers swept the Seattle Mariners and won two of three against the New York Yankees, including a fun 3-2 win in extra innings in the Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Do the final six weeks — for anyone — factor into the plans for 2025? The Tigers called up Jace Jung and Trey Sweeney for their MLB debuts, plus the Tigers recalled Spencer Torkelson. Also, Kerry Carpenter and Riley Greene returned from the injured list, all while Parker Meadows continues to be a game-changer on offense and defense. What are the expectations for Torkelson after 58 games in Triple-A Toledo? To wrap up, Mark and Evan try to answer an important question: How close are the Tigers to competing in the American League Central?

Follow Mark on X/Twitter here.

Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.

Read Evan's most recent work here

The Detroit Tigers completed a six-game West Coast trip with a 3-3 record, winning two of three games in Seattle and losing two of three in San Francisco. The Tigers aren't in postseason contention with 43 games remaining, so how much value should we place in what happens over the final six weeks of the season? A few injured players are coming back soon, including Kerry Carpenter, but Parker Meadows seems to be the No. 1 player to watch down the stretch because of his potential impact for years to come. Also, what could the starting rotation and bullpen look like on 2025 Opening Day? After that, Nate Schwartz, a writer for PitcherList, joins to discuss Process+, a new all-encompassing hitting stat that provides a comprehensive understanding of a hitter's process at the plate. He explains which Tigers have good processes and which Tigers have bad processes, solely based Process+ in the 2024 season. To wrap up, we discuss the injury to Wenceel Pérez and provide an update on Spencer Torkelson.

Follow Mark on X/Twitter here.

Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.

Read Evan's most recent work here

The Detroit Tigers continue to struggle on the field, but there's still a lot to track in the final two months of the 2024 season. Can Colt Keith make a late push for American League Rookie of the Year? Can Tarik Skubal finish strong in his AL Cy Young campaign? Does Parker Meadows prove himself as the everyday center fielder of the future? Along with those topics, the Tigers have a player with MLB experience hitting in Triple-A Toledo. Is it time to recall Spencer Torkelson? After that, Jaylon Thompson, the Royals beat writer for The Kansas City Star, joins to discuss how the Royals — led by general manager J.J. Picollo — went from a 56-106 record in 2023 to postseason contenders in 2024. To wrap up, we discuss what we like about newcomers Dillon Dingler and Brant Hurter, and the latest on the Casey Mize situation.

Follow Mark on X/Twitter here.

Follow Evan on X/Twitter here.

Read Evan's most recent work here