The Detroit Tigers let another golden opportunity slip through their fingers, wasting a gem from left-hander Framber Valdez in his return from a five-game suspension. Making his first start back at Citi Field on Wednesday, Valdez was electric, holding the New York Mets to just one run over 6⅔ innings while striking out seven. He left with two outs in the seventh, leading 2-1, and looking every bit like the ace the Tigers hoped they'd get.

But baseball can be a cruel game, and the Tigers' bats went silent when it mattered most. Despite playing clean defense and getting a stellar outing from Valdez, Detroit couldn't deliver the knockout punch. They went a miserable 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, leaving the door wide open for the Mets to walk through. In the 10th inning, rookie Carson Benge singled up the middle to plate fellow rookie A.J. Ewing, handing the Tigers a crushing extra-inning loss.

It's a familiar and frustrating script for Detroit, which has now lost 12 of its last 17 games. Every time they seem to find a spark—like Valdez's gritty return—the offense sputters and the momentum fades. For a team trying to build something in a tough AL Central, these are the kinds of games that sting the most.

The Tigers will look to salvage the series finale on Wednesday afternoon at 1:10 p.m. on Detroit SportsNet, with right-hander Keider Montero taking the mound. Rain is in the forecast, but Detroit's hitters know they can't afford another washout at the plate. If they can't find a way to come through in the clutch, this losing slide could get a lot worse before it gets better.