🌞 Good morning! It’s win-or-go-home for the Detroit Tigers today. And even if they win, they’ll play another win-or-go-home game on Friday.
But first … the number of the day is 4.
Can you guess why? Find out at the end!
🐯 Tigers
Turns out, Tigers really don’t like the rain … but Mariners seem to handle the water just fine.
Or maybe it’s just because Seattle played better baseball than Detroit on Tuesday, as the Mariners beat the Tigers 8-4 in an ALDS Game 4 that wasn’t nearly as close as the score makes it appear.
Now down 2-1, the Tigers face elimination and have to win Game 4 at Comerica Park on Wednesday to continue in the 2025 playoffs. One advantage they might have? Manager A.J. Hinch, who has much more playoff experience than Seattle’s manager Dan Wilson.
And on the mound for the Tigers is Casey Mize, the All-Star who already has notched some high-stakes playoff experience this month.
Buy our book: The Epic History of the Tigers
🦁 Lions
Lions fans got some bad news on Tuesday, learning that cornerback Terrion Arnold would likely be out for the season with a shoulder injury.
But wait! It was reported later in the day that Arnold got a second, more optmistic opinion on his shoulder that said he would be back at some point this season.
Either way, Arnold is likely going to be out for a long time. And even though he’s been a focal point of criticism on the defensive side, the Lions might struggle protecting the pass a lot more without Arnold on the field.
♞ Pistons
Pretty much everybody on the Detroit Pistons roster got some game time during their preseason matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday … except for center Jalen Duren, who missed the entire game and is day-to-day with hamstring tightness.
Duren was somewhat of an iron man for the Pistons last season, leading the team in starts (78) while only missing four regular-season games as the team’s starting center.
But the Pistons looked good even without Duren in the lineup, showing the same sort of speed and tenacity that defined the team at the end of last season. Or as their star Cade Cunningham said: “We got stops, rebounded and ran.”
🥊 Quick hits
- Check out this Lego model of Little Caesars Arena.
- Michigan football’s season may swing on Saturday at USC, whether they win or lose.
- Michigan State football’s Aidan Chiles and Nick Marsh have squashed their beef after an argument on the sideline during the Nebraska game.
📺 What to watch
MLB: Tigers vs Mariners, 3:08 p.m. ET (FS1).
WNBA Finals: Las Vegas at Phoenix, Game 3, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN).
🔢 Number of the day
The number of the day is 4. Did you guess why?
That’s the number of hits the Tigers had in the first eight innings of yesterday’s game, scoring only one run in the process.
They rallied with three more runs in the ninth inning with three pinch hitters sparking the effort, but by that time they were already down 8-1 and needed a miracle to complete the comeback.
Hope you enjoyed this edition of the Sports Briefing! Let me know what you think, and please consider supporting local journalism and getting unlimited digital access.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Win or stay home.
