After losing two out of three games to the Cleveland Guardians during the week, the Detroit Tigers had the task of keeping their playoff hopes alive in their fi

BOSTON -- The Detroit Tigers will try again on Saturday at Fenway Park. The Tigers can clinch a playoff spot by beating the Red Sox at 4:10 p.m. or by waiting and hoping for the Houston Astros to lose again to the Los Angeles Angels in a game beginning at 9:38 p.m.

While the Astros fly to Anaheim to face an Angels team with the third-worst record in baseball since the break, the Tigers travel to Boston to face a Red Sox team still trying to cement a spot in the postseason. The Guardians, meanwhile, host a Rangers team that’s already been eliminated.

It’s not that the Tigers played poorly, it’s just that they can’t quite make the pitch when they need it ... or get the hit when they need it.

This is not how the Detroit Tigers drew it up at the beginning of the season. After leading the American League Central for the better part of the past five months, the Tigers’ playoff hopes and the outcome of the division come down to one weekend in Boston.

If the Tigers want to make the playoffs, they’re almost certainly going to have to win two out of three both in Cleveland and in Boston this week. Heading into the series at Cleveland, the Tigers lead the Guardians by one game in the standings. But really, they have to look at it as if the division is tied.

In Friday's 4-3 loss, the Detroit Tigers finished 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10 runners vs. the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Greene struck out in the second inning of Saturday's game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston, to reach No. 200. He already owns the Tigers' record for K's in a single season, passing Cecil Fielder (182 in 1990).