By midnight, those numbers had changed dramatically. In Cleveland, Minnesota lost a 4-2 lead to the Guardians in the 10th inning, suffering a crushing 5-4 defeat. The Twins have been in a slump over the past month, with a 10-19 record in the last 29 games and leaving Detroit in the running. Shortly after that game ended, the Tigers completed a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Detroit scored four runs on leading AL Cy Young candidate Tarik Skubal, more than enough for the Tigers to win 4-2.

Detroit has exploded down the stretch, posting the best record in baseball since August 11. The Tigers are on a 9-2 streak in their last 11 games, closing the gap The race for a Wild Card spot is down to just half a game before play begins on September 19. According to FanGraphs, Detroit’s odds of making the playoffs are now 36.1% — up from 9.9% as of Monday morning. Meanwhile, Minnesota’s rate fell to 71.5% — down from 84% on Monday. The Royals’ odds also dropped, from 97.4% to 88.5% since Monday. They have lost four straight and have a 7-13 record in their last 20 games, closing the gap to just 1.5 games over the Twins and two over the Tigers.