The Cleveland Guardians are making things interesting in the American League Central, and their fans can hardly believe the turnaround. After trailing the Detroit Tigers by a whopping 11 and a half games just a few weeks ago, Cleveland has stormed back into contention, closing the gap to just three and a half games with a little more than a week left in the regular season. If you thought the AL Central race was over, think again!
On Thursday, the Guardians capped off a crucial three-game sweep of the Tigers with a 3-1 victory in Detroit. The key moment? José Ramírez, the heartbeat of Cleveland’s lineup, blasted a tiebreaking two-run homer in the seventh inning, right after Tigers ace Tarik Skubal exited the mound. That shot to right field not only gave the Guardians the lead, but also sent a message: this Cleveland team isn’t going away quietly.
“We’re just playing our brand of baseball and having fun out there,” Ramírez said after the game, smiling as reporters crowded around his locker. “Every game matters now. We know what’s at stake.”
Ramírez’s heroics were only the latest in a string of clutch performances. The Guardians, who were under .500 as recently as September 4, have now won 12 of their last 13 games and are a season-high 10 games over .500. That’s a turnaround few saw coming, especially after a midseason slump threatened to derail their playoff hopes.
The sweep didn’t come easy. In Thursday’s finale, Skubal showed why he’s the reigning AL Cy Young Award and pitching Triple Crown winner. Returning from an injury scare, he tossed six strong innings, giving up just one run on seven hits and striking out nine. But after Skubal handed the ball to right-hander Troy Melton in a 1-1 game, things unraveled quickly. Just nine pitches into Melton’s outing, Ramírez connected for his game-changing homer.
“It’s a tough loss,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch admitted. “We had opportunities early, but couldn’t capitalize. Credit to Cleveland, they’re playing great baseball right now.”
The Tigers actually struck first in the second inning, stringing together three hits, including an RBI double from Colt Keith. But Detroit’s offense stalled after that, failing to score again despite having two on and no outs in the same frame. To make matters worse, Keith left the game with back stiffness, a worrying sign for a team already reeling from injuries and recent losses.
Cleveland’s Jhonkensy Noel tied things up in the fourth with a solo home run, setting the stage for Ramírez’s late-inning heroics. On the mound, Tanner Bibee delivered a strong performance for the Guardians, going six innings and allowing just one run on four hits while striking out eight. Tim Herrin and Kolby Allard combined for two innings of scoreless relief, and Hunter Gaddis closed it out in the ninth for his third save of the season.
For Detroit, the loss was another gut punch in a September swoon that’s seen them drop six of their last seven games and 15 of 22 overall. That once-comfortable division lead is now anything but, especially with three more games against Cleveland looming from September 23-25. The Tigers’ faithful are starting to get nervous, and who can blame them?
“We’re still in control, but we’ve got to turn it around—fast,” Tigers outfielder Riley Greene said after the game. “Every team goes through rough patches, but this isn’t the time for one.”
The Guardians’ surge started earlier in the week, when they opened the series with a dramatic 7-5 extra-inning win on Tuesday. Steven Kwan ignited a four-run 10th inning with an RBI double, and the Guardians overcame a game-tying home run in the ninth by Detroit’s Kerry Carpenter. Cleveland’s offense came alive in the clutch, with Angel Martinez tripling, José Ramírez doubling, and Gabriel Arias adding an RBI single in the decisive frame. Arias also chipped in with a solo homer earlier in the contest.
On the mound, Joey Cantillo kept Cleveland in the game with five innings of one-run ball, while Detroit’s Casey Mize was solid but not quite sharp enough, allowing three runs over 5 1/3 innings. For the Tigers, Spencer Torkelson was a bright spot, collecting four hits—including a two-run homer in the 10th—and Gleyber Torres added a solo shot. But it wasn’t enough to keep pace with Cleveland’s late-inning heroics.
“We’re fighting for every win,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said after Tuesday’s victory. “This group believes in itself. We’ve been counted out before, but we keep coming back.”
That resilience has defined Cleveland’s September. The Guardians have climbed back into the wild card race, sitting just two and a half games out of the third and final spot. With the Tigers stumbling and the Guardians surging, the final week of the season promises high drama—especially with those three head-to-head matchups still on the docket.
The Guardians’ pitching staff has been a revelation during this run. Tim Herrin struck out three straight in a critical eighth inning on Tuesday, and Rafael Montero fanned the side in the ninth. Even when Detroit’s Carpenter tied the game with a dramatic homer, Cleveland didn’t blink, responding with four runs in the 10th to seal the win.
Looking ahead, the Guardians will send left-hander Parker Messick (3-0, 1.84 ERA) to the mound Friday night in Minnesota against the Twins’ Pablo Lopez (5-4, 2.64 ERA). Detroit, meanwhile, opens its final homestand with right-hander Charlie Morton (9-10, 5.66 ERA) facing Atlanta’s Bryce Elder (7-10, 5.56 ERA). Both teams know what’s at stake: a division crown, a playoff berth, and, for Detroit, a chance to halt Cleveland’s momentum before it’s too late.
“This is what baseball’s all about,” Ramírez said, his eyes lighting up. “Big games, big moments. We’re ready.”
With the regular season winding down and the AL Central race heating up, all eyes will be on Cleveland and Detroit. The Guardians have made things interesting—now it’s up to the Tigers to respond. The next week promises plenty of drama, and if recent games are any indication, fans are in for a wild ride.
