Postseason in sight as Tigers win 6th straight

A day after general manager Al Avila kept the Tigers intact at the Trade Deadline for the stretch run, the team crept closer into the American League playoff chase. Victor Reyes hit a two-run home run as part of a four-hit, five-RBI performance before the Tigers pulled away late for

A day after general manager Al Avila kept the Tigers intact at the Trade Deadline for the stretch run, the team crept closer into the American League playoff chase. Victor Reyes hit a two-run home run as part of a four-hit, five-RBI performance before the Tigers pulled away late for a 12-1 win Tuesday at Miller Park.

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The Tigers’ sixth straight win moved them within a half-game of the Blue Jays for the eighth and final spot in the expanded AL playoff bracket. Detroit has its longest winning streak since 2016, which is also the last time the Tigers carried a winning record in September. They haven’t carried this long of a winning streak into September since 2011, when they rode 12 straight wins to their first of four consecutive AL Central titles.

The Tigers’ win came at a cost, though. JaCoby Jones suffered a fractured left hand when he was hit by a pitch in the eighth inning.

After 310 losses over the previous three seasons, including a 114-loss campaign last year, a postseason berth would be a historic turnaround for Detroit, even in a shortened season. For now, the Tigers are playing like a team with no pressure on its shoulders.

The Tigers pulled in front with two runs in the third and fourth off Brewers starter Josh Lindblom. Reyes singled home Willi Castro after his RBI triple in the fourth. Reyes added a two-run homer in the sixth, then doubled in two runs in a four-run eighth that pushed Detroit into double digits.

Michael Fulmer tossed three scoreless innings with six strikeouts in his start. Daniel Norris earned the win with 2 1/3 innings of one-run ball before Bryan Garcia pulled him out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth.