DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers have finally pulled into a first-place tie in the race to have the fewest wins in all of baseball.
When their 7-2 loss Wednesday against the Cleveland Indians, the Tigers fell to 29-62 on the season. Later that night, the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Washington Nationals to improve to 29-66.
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The two teams are now tied for the fewest wins in baseball, and they aren't even close to anyone else in the league. Both the Miami Marlins and Kansas City Royals sit at 35 wins.
How hard would it be for the Tigers to catch a team with six more wins? Well, the Tigers have won six games since June 5, which means at their current pace they would need the Marlins or Royals to lose about 33 games in a row.
Clearly it's going to be a Tigers vs. Orioles race for the worst record in baseball, and boy, that should be a doozie.
The Tigers are technically two games ahead of the Orioles in the standings because they've played four fewer games. But Detroit is certainly trending more severely in the wrong direction over the last few months.
After starting the season a surprising and respectable 18-20, the Tigers have done a complete nosedive, losing 42 of 53 games.
Baltimore, on the other hand, has been somewhat reasonable over the last 15 games, going 7-8.
Earning the No. 1 overall pick isn't as coveted or impactful in baseball, but sometimes a can't-miss prospect emerges from the pack. Casey Mize is a good example. He was the obvious No. 1 choice in 2018 when the Tigers drafted him, and he's already risen to the No. 2 prospect in baseball.
The race for last is something to watch for fans who aren't still holding out hope for the team to narrow the 23.5-game gap for the second wildcard spot.
Detroit plays a series finale in Cleveland on Thursday night with a chance to pick up another half-game on Baltimore, which doesn't have a game.
The Tigers and Orioles will play a critical four-game series in Detroit from Sept. 13-16. When the teams played in Baltimore, the Tigers won two of three games.
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