Pop the Champagne: The Detroit Tigers Finally Snap Their Losing Streak

It might not be July 4th quite yet, but the extra-long holiday weekend should still be greeted with fireworks in Detroit, as the Tigers officially ended their eight-game losing streak by defeating the Baltimore Orioles 4-1 in game two of a Memorial Day weekend doubleheader.

After getting rained out Saturday night, the Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles squared off in a heated doubleheader that carried far more weight than just a casual late-May matchup.

These are two teams desperately searching for light at the end of a battle-tested journey. Baltimore took game one and then promptly walked off the Tigers in the opener of Sunday’s doubleheader in heartbreaking fashion.

As Kenley Jansen surrendered a three-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning while Detroit clung to a one-run lead, it felt like the cruel reality of the Tigers’ season flashed directly in front of the fanbase once again.

Coming into the year, Detroit looked poised to run away with the division. With a starting rotation good enough to draw comparisons to the legendary 2012 Tigers staff, expectations were sky high. Many believed the division was practically set in stone and that Detroit would not only return to the playoffs, but make a deeper run this time around.

Unfortunately, injuries — and maybe a little fate — had other ideas.

Enter an eight-game losing streak and 16 losses in the last 18 games.

The Tigers looked shell-shocked. The offense disappeared, the confidence vanished, and nothing seemed to click. But then came Troy Melton.

To some fans, Melton looked like Superman — the one man capable of reigniting the Tigers and turning the season around. Others would point to the looming return of Tarik Skubal from the injured list as the true turning point. But the more in-depth Tigers fans knew exactly who Melton was. This was a young pitcher who posted a sub-3.00 ERA last season across 16 games, and now he was being thrown into a moment where Detroit desperately needed a spark.

Then “Superman,” aka Troy Melton, delivered.

Melton dominated the Orioles and injected confidence back into a dugout that, from the outside looking in, appeared completely defeated over the last few weeks.

It all started in the first inning.

Despite coughing away the previous game just hours earlier in devastating fashion, the Tigers came out aggressive and energized. Detroit catcher Dillon Dingler — one of the few consistent power threats in the lineup lately — launched his 10th home run of the season with McGonigle on base to immediately give the Tigers a 2-0 lead.

For a team that has spent the last several weeks flirting with disaster night after night, the early offense felt massive.

Too often during this brutal stretch, Detroit’s offense failed to generate runs, leaving the pitching staff with virtually no margin for error. The Tigers repeatedly found themselves needing near-perfect outings on the mound just to have a chance to win baseball games.

Melton may not have tossed a shutout, but he came awfully close.

The rookie right-hander finished with 5.2 strong innings, allowing just two hits and one earned run. Baltimore’s lone run came on a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning, but beyond that, Melton stayed composed and in complete control throughout the afternoon.

More importantly, there was a different energy surrounding the Tigers.

There was confidence. There was fight. There was belief.

Those are all things Detroit had seemingly lost during this miserable stretch.

Then, in the fifth inning, rookie phenom McGonigle came through with another huge moment, singling in two more runs to extend Detroit’s lead to 4-1. Remarkably, it marked just the second time in the last 10 games that the Tigers managed to score four or more runs.

From there, Tyler Holton and Drew Anderson slammed the door shut.

The duo combined for the final 3.1 innings, allowing just one hit while striking out six Orioles hitters to preserve the much-needed victory.

The Tigers finally got over the hump.

Out of the skid. Off the losing streak. However you want to phrase it, Detroit finally found a way to win a baseball game again.

Now comes the important part: building off of it.

If the Tigers have any chance of redeeming this spiraling season, it starts with stacking wins together instead of letting another loss snowball into something bigger.

The next matchup comes Tuesday back at Comerica Park against the struggling Los Angeles Angels. Detroit will get a chance to reset, enjoy Memorial Day, and prepare to get back to work as they begin chipping away at the hole they’ve dug themselves into.