Don't look now, but the Detroit Tigers have won four straight games.
Following a 5-3 victory over the New York Yankees on Monday, the Tigers own an impressive 12-6 record in June. That mark is the best in the American League and the second-best in MLB, behind only the Miami Marlins (14-5).
A big reason behind Detroit's success this month has been its starting pitching. The Tigers' starting rotation leads the league with a 3.47 ERA in June. That success has been led by prized offseason acquisition Framber Valdez, who is starting to look like the ace Detroit signed to a three-year, $115 million contract just before Spring Training.
Monday against the Yankees was the latest start in what has been Valdez's best month as a Tiger. The 32-year-old southpaw tossed six innings of one-run ball, allowing just four hits and two walks while striking out eight.
Through four June starts, Valdez owns a 2.45 ERA with 21 strikeouts and nine walks across 22 innings. Those numbers are a significant improvement from May, when he posted a 5.93 ERA over five starts and failed to record a win.
Across 16 total starts in 2026, Valdez owns a 4-5 record with a 3.91 ERA in 89.2 innings. He has recorded 75 strikeouts and 34 walks.
More importantly, Valdez's turnaround is giving the Tigers hope ahead of the August 3 trade deadline. After an abysmal 6-22 record in May, Detroit looked poised to be sellers at the deadline, with Tarik Skubal trade speculation accelerating. While what happens with Skubal remains to be determined, the Tigers and Valdez appear to be turning a corner.
Nonetheless, Detroit must continue to stack wins to give president of baseball operations Scott Harris a reason to keep this group together. Signing Valdez to the contract the Tigers gave him immediately signaled that Detroit was all-in.
A healthy one-two punch of Skubal and Valdez atop Detroit's rotation gives the Tigers a chance against anyone. If Valdez continues to pitch like he has this month and Skubal returns to form soon, Detroit's front office will have difficult decisions to make at the trade deadline.
In the meantime, the Tigers will continue to lean on Valdez and the rest of a starting rotation that has fueled them to the best record in the American League this month.
Heading into Tuesday, Detroit (34-44) sits 6.5 games behind the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox in the AL Central and five games out of a Wild Card spot.
The Tigers will look to extend their win streak to five games on Tuesday against New York at 6:40 pm ET.
