Detroit Tigers pitcher Kyle Finnegan (64) celebrates 6-3 win over Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park in Detroit in Monday, August 4, 2025. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tigers Bullpen Find Stride in August, Posting Second-Best ERA in MLB

Originally posted on Detroit Tigers on SI
By Jeremy Trottier | Last updated Sep 1, 2025 4:00 PM ET

The Detroit Tigers have put together some extremely impressive baseball stints over the course of the 2025 season, but lately, they have really started to kick things up a notch. With the MLB Postseason only a few weeks away, gaining momentum at the right time is crucial for competitive teams like the Tigers, and it seems as though they might be doing just that.

In August, the Tigers went 16-12, which is not exactly flawless, but their production has taken a step upwards, which indicates they may still have more to build off of. One of the most impressive parts of their team's success has been the bullpen, which has rapidly started to stand out with the additions of Kyle Finnegan and Rafael Montero at the trade deadline.

During the month of August, the Tigers put together the second-best team bullpen ERA across the MLB, posting a 2.98 ERA across all of their relief arms. While their bullpen started off shaky earlier in the year, they have rapidly put together a group of pitchers that can close out games in many different scenarios.

Our bullpen posted a 2.98 ERA in August, ranking 2nd among all MLB teams. pic.twitter.com/ds2D3J86h1
— Tigers PR (@DetroitTigersPR) September 1, 2025

Which Other MLB Teams Had a Comparable Bullpen ERA in August?

Compared to the rest of the league, this is an extremely impressive feat, as the best team in bullpen ERA that month was the Athletics with a 2.93, only 0.05 ahead of Detroit. As for the teams closely following the Tigers, the Tampa Bay Rays and Kansas City Royals both had a 2.99 ERA, the Milwaukee Brewers had a 3.17, and the Cleveland Guardians had a 3.19.

Team Reliever ERA in August 2025:

2.93 ATH
2.98 DET
2.99 TB KC
3.17 MIL
3.19 CLE
3.53 SD
3.54 CIN
3.63 BOS
3.69 SF
3.72 ARI
3.74 LAD
3.76 ATL
3.84 STL
3.87 LAA
3.99 CHC
4.01 PHI
4.42 NYM
4.44 NYY
4.45 MIN
4.52 SEA
4.59 BAL
4.76 TEX TOR
4.88 WSN
5.06 HOU
5.24 CWS
5.29 PIT
5.59…
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) September 1, 2025

Beyond these five, every other team had at least a 3.50 ERA or above from their bullpen in August, with the worst of the bunch going to the Miami Marlins at a whopping 6.08, more than double the number of Detroit.

This is a huge deal and something that was desperately needed for the Tigers, as their starting pitchers were not as effective during the course of August. Despite being second in bullpen ERA, the team was tied for No. 10 in overall ERA in August, posting a 3.99 as a whole.

This needs to be the big focus for the franchise moving forward, as beyond Tarik Skubal, all of their starters have a 3.95 ERA or above, with three of the five starters having a 4.74 or higher ERA this year. It will be intriguing to see how things pan out for Detroit heading into the last few weeks, as their schedule is rather difficult, so it will be a good test before the Postseason.

This article first appeared on Detroit Tigers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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