A little after 2 p.m. on Tuesday, my inbox received perhaps the most ill-timed promotion in the history of sports marketing.

It was from the Detroit Tigers to its fan base: “It’s go time: Claim your postseason tickets before they’re gone.”

Oh, they might be gone, all right. Less than 8 hours later the team lost to the Cleveland Guardians and handed over the AL Central Division lead that the Tigers held for 184 days of this season.

And they didn’t just hold it: On July 8, the Tigers had a 15.5-game margin over the Guardians and were on pace to get a first-round bye and home field advantage in the playoffs. Now, with five games remaining, there’s a real possibility Detroit will miss the playoffs altogether.

The Tigers have lost seven games in a row, their longest losing streak of the sea

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