Analyst Reveals Guardians’ ‘Recipe’ For Beating Tigers’ Ace

The Cleveland Guardians are set to face the Detroit Tigers in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card round.

That shouldn’t be much of a concern, given how much success the Guardians have had against them recently.

Nevertheless, it’s impossible to deny that the Tigers will have an edge on the mound.

Tarik Skubal will start for Detroit, and while Cleveland’s Gavin Williams is also a very good pitcher, Skubal is elite.

With that in mind, MLB analyst Todd Dery shared his thoughts on the best way to defeat the Tigers’ ace.

“They’re gonna have to work the counts and get that pitch count up and get him outta there. The odds of this offense scoring more than two runs against him are slim to none. You need another superb Gavin Williams start because I think this is going to be a pitchers’ duel. Once you get to the bullpens, the clear advantage is with the Guardians. The Tigers’ bullpen has really, really not been great. … If you can get that pitch count up with Skubal and get to that bullpen, I think that’s the recipe to win this game,” Dery said.

📞"They're gonna have to work counts and get his pitch count up. The odds of scoring more than 2 runs against (Skubal) are slim. Once you get to the bullpens the clear advantage is with the Guardians."

Todd Dery (@DeryBrosPod ) on how the #Guardians can get to Tarik Skubal⚾ pic.twitter.com/DQVQ9ebrbs

— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) September 30, 2025

The Guardians aren’t known for their offense.

They’ve fared much better recently, but they are not the type of team that’s going to hit its way to the World Series.

They need to be cerebral and disciplined at the plate.

Once Skubal is off the mound, the table will be set for the Guardians to do what they do best, which is take care of business down the stretch.

The Tigers’ bullpen has been rocked often this season, especially as of late, so the Guardians have a massive advantage in that regard.

Of course, their success will also depend on whether Williams can maintain his momentum and deliver another strong outing.

If that’s the case, you have to like their chances to take the opener of the best-of-3 series.