Detroit's Do-or-Die Stretch: Skubal, Mize, Torres on the Block?

The Detroit Tigers split the week 2-3 with a rain out (makeup set for September 4), and now they walk into the stretch that decides their season. Detroit sits 6 games out of the final wild card spot trailing the Athletics, with the Guardians holding a 3.5 game lead, and the Tigers are 9.5 back in the division behind Cleveland and the White Sox.

The gauntlet: Astros on the road, home for the White Sox, then the Yankees, the Astros again, the Yankees on the road, and into a late-June stretch with Texas, the Athletics and the Phillies before the All-Star break. This is the part of the schedule we look back on when the trade deadline arrives.

Because the real question isn't the standings — it's the deadline. If Detroit can't make up ground, expect the Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize and Gleyber Torres trade talk to get a lot louder, especially with expiring deals heading into a potential lockout. We break down the A.J. Hinch lineup decisions, the Jahmai Jones struggles, the missed sweep against the Twins, and the bad series in Cleveland.

Make no bones about it — the next two weeks define this season.

Let me know in the comments: do the Tigers make up ground, or do they sell?

. If there's breaking news, we'll have it.