If anyone outside of the Cleveland Guardians knows what they are capable of, it has to be Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch. His team led the Guardians by 15.5 games in the standings last season, only to be caught and surpassed down the stretch as Cleveland won its second straight AL Central title.
Hinch and the Tigers did get their revenge by winning the AL Wild Card series between the teams. The division rivals were supposed to battle it out for first place again this year, but with the past four games keeping Detroit in its downward spiral, Cleveland made a statement before the race ever really began.
The Tigers manager praised the Guardians after their just-completed four-game series sweep, saying Cleveland “won every aspect.”
“The results speak for themselves,” Hinch said. “I mean, it was tough. Obviously, the series on the whole, there are a lot of games to win within a four-game series. We won zero. You look at execution, you look at the timeliness of when things happen, coming up big in a big spot, I mean, they won every aspect.”
The Guardians could have lost any of the final three games at Comerica Park, but they managed to extend their winning streak to six games, with victories in nine of their past 10 and 12 of their past 15. Meanwhile, the Tigers have lost six in a row and 14 of their past 16, pushing them into last place, 9.5 games behind first-place Cleveland.
After taking the series opener 8-2, in the next game, the Guardians held a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the ninth, but the Tigers put runners on first and second with one out. Cleveland closer Cade Smith struck out the next two batters for his 15th save of the season.
The next night, the Guardians scored in the top of the ninth to tie the game 1-1. In the bottom of the ninth, the Tigers had runners on first and second with no outs, but Cleveland relievers Erik Sabrowski and Colin Holderman struck out the next three batters. After taking a two-run lead in the 10th, Smith got another save in the 3-2 win.
A 3-1 victory in the afternoon finale wrapped up the series, and even though last year proved you can never count anyone out of a pennant race, it may have also finished off the Tigers as a threat to the Guardians this season.
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