The Detroit Tigers' road struggles continued in brutal fashion this week, as they were swept out of Queens by the New York Mets—a team sitting dead last in the National League East. Thursday's 9-4 loss at Citi Field marked the Tigers' eighth defeat in their last nine games, and their MLB-worst 7-19 record away from home is a glaring red flag for a club trying to find its footing.

For a moment, it looked like the Tigers might finally catch a break. Rookie Gage Workman launched a two-out, three-run homer off Mets right-hander Nolan McLean in the first inning, giving Detroit a 3-1 lead. When Workman led off the fourth with a double and Zach McKinstry followed with a bloop single to left, the Tigers seemed poised to add to their advantage.

But baseball has a way of testing your resolve, and this game felt more like an acid test. Workman hesitated on the basepaths, getting a bad read on McKinstry's hit. He held up, then broke late for third base. Left fielder MJ Melendez fired the ball to third, and umpire Junior Valentine called Workman out. The Tigers challenged, and replays appeared to show Workman's hand reaching the bag before the tag was applied to his shoulder. Yet after a lengthy review, crew chief Jordan Baker announced the call stands—meaning there wasn't enough evidence to overturn, despite what the replays seemed to show.

Manager AJ Hinch erupted from the dugout, as animated and angry as he's been all season. He was immediately ejected, racing onto the field to voice his frustration to Baker before storming off.

The momentum shift was immediate. On the very next pitch, Spencer Torkelson grounded into an inning-ending double play. Then, in the bottom of the fourth, the Mets tied the game on a crushing two-out, two-run homer by Brett Baty. The damage started with a two-out walk from starter Keider Montero—a painful echo of Wednesday's game, where a two-out walk also led to a tying run in the seventh inning.

Montero managed to get two outs in the fifth, but after Carson Benge singled and stole second, acting manager George Lombard summoned lefty Tyler Holton to face the dangerous Juan Soto. The strategy was sound—but on this road trip, nothing seems to go according to plan for the Tigers. The slide continues, and the questions are mounting as Detroit searches for answers away from home.