CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Guardians are once again on the brink of elimination against their American League Central rival Detroit Tigers.
“Our backs have been against the wall for three months. What’s one more day? Like I said, the way Tarik Skubal threw the ball tonight, I don’t know if anybody scores off of him,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said following game one, a 3-1 Guardians loss. “He was absolutely outstanding. Took a little bit of ‘Guard Ball’ turmoil there just to get one. And really battled. But he was some kind of special today.”
While Vogt is correct about Skubal, the Guardians also did themselves no favors, making two crucial errors that helped set up the only two runs the Tigers ended up scoring.
In the first, it was center fielder Angel Martinez who bobbled the ball and allowed Kerry Carpenter to turn a single into a double. Carpenter then comes in to score on a two-out single.
In the seventh, Guardians first baseman Jhonkensy Noel couldn’t handle a throw which allowed Riley Greene to move from second to third. Green was then driven in with a sacrifice bunt.
For game two of the series, the Guardians will give the ball to Tanner Bibbe to try and save their season. He will oppose a motivated Casey Mize, who was left off the Postseason roster last year in this same ballpark, Cleveland’s Progressive Field.
Bibbe will need to set the tone and provide the Guardians with a quality start, which he is more than capable of. He has been lights out against the Tigers this year, throwing 19 innings with 21 strikeouts and an ERA of 0.95. If Bibbe can maintain that, the Guardians will have a great chance of forcing game three.
The Guardians completed the biggest comeback in MLB history, erasing a 15-game deficit over the season’s final two months. Following that by winning two straight games feels like a small task and Bibbe can also draw on his Postseason experience last season.
“Anytime you make the postseason, no matter what, the team is going to be excited and ready to go, the energy is going to be there. The crowd is going to bring the energy as well,” Bibbe said to the media pregame before game one.
“These are some of the easier games to play for just because there’s so much energy, so much adrenaline, and just turns into playing the game.”
Last postseason, Bibbe made four appearances with 16 strikeouts, in 15 2/3 innings, and an ERA of 3.45.
“I feel good right now. For me, when I’m in the best head space, getting my pitches in the zone where I want them.” Bibbe said on his mindset for his game two start. “I think tomorrow turns into competing, and the competitive fire will be there. It will be — got to fill out the zone and attack them.”
Bibbe can pitch a gem, but the Guardians will still need a lot more from their offense if they want to force a decisive game three against the Tigers. The Guardians had four hits yesterday with none of them going for extra-bases.
Their spark plug and lead off hitter, Steven Kwan went 0-for-4. They won’t win many games without him contributing, or Jose Ramirez not getting any extra-base hits. Ramirez also hurt them in the biggest spot of the game on the base paths, and that simply can’t happen.
Tigers game two starter Casey Mize talked about the challenges of facing Ramirez.
“When people ask me who are some of the toughest players you’ve ever played against, José is one of the first two, three, four that comes out of my mouth,” Mize said before game one.
“He’s such a talented guy all the way around. Steals bases, hits for power, plays excellent defense. It’s all there. And I know he’s a leader of that team and he’s a constant. You think of Cleveland, you think of José.”
Mize has been through the highs and lows of the league almost more than any other player. He was the first overall pick by the Tigers in the 2018 MLB Draft out of Auburn. In 2022, he built himself up to the point that he was named as the Tigers second starter. Unfortunately he suffered from an elbow sprain, which led to the dreaded Tommy John Surgery.
He had a down year in 2024 with an ERA of 4.49. This season he bounced back with a 3.87 ERA and 139 strikeouts in 149 innings.
This season against the Guardians Mize has made three appearances with 18 strikeouts, in 17 1/3 innings, and an ERA of 2.11.
Will the Tigers get some more revenge against the Guardians? Or will they make the Tigers sweat some more by forcing a game three?
Photo: Tanner Bibee throws against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning of a baseball game Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
