A.J. Hinch: Hard to say 'what is going on' with scuffling Tigers

The Detroit Tigers' lead atop the AL Central has nearly vanished, leaving manager A.J. Hinch almost speechless.

"It's hard trying to put into words what is going on," Hinch told reporters following the Tigers' 6-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Comerica Park on Saturday.

"But I know how much we fought today, I know how well we played. Some big emotional swings, and (then) an absolute punch right to the face."

The scuffling Tigers appeared to be on their way to victory after seventh-inning homers from Zach McKinstry and Spencer Torkelson gave them a 5-3 edge. However, all of that came undone in the final two innings, as the bullpen couldn't hold the lead.

Braves third baseman Nacho Alvarez Jr. homered off Kyle Finnegan - the first run allowed by Finnegan since he joined Detroit at the deadline - in the eighth to make it a one-run game. Alvarez then ripped the game-tying single in the ninth, setting up Jurickson Profar's base hit off closer Will Vest to bring the winning run home.

(Video source: MLB.com)

Detroit has now lost five straight and eight of its last 10. Saturday's defeat, combined with Cleveland's sweep of a doubleheader from Minnesota, moved the surging Guardians to within one game of first place in the AL Central.

It's a stunning turn of events for a Tigers team that appeared to be cruising toward October just two months ago. On July 8, Detroit enjoyed a season-high 14-game lead in the division, while Cleveland was in third and 15 1/2 games back. The Tigers still led by 10 games on Sept. 3, when the Guardians remained in third, before this sudden slide began.

With the playoffs no longer guaranteed, Detroit faces a critical road trip to Cleveland and Boston over the season's final week. Collars are certainly tightening in Detroit, although Hinch and his players appear to be focusing on the positives ahead of the final seven contests.

"Losing sucks, but we were one pitch away from winning," Torkelson said, according to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. "We're still in a fine position, so we can't let anything really affect us too much. We got to keep battling and showing up every day expecting to win and putting in our work like winners do."