The Cleveland Guardians have one last obstacle to overcome before declaring themselves one of the two best teams in the American League.
That obstacle is the Detroit Tigers.
Or shall we say Tarik Skubal?
The two AL Central squads will play Game 5 of their AL Division Series on Saturday, and the winner will face the New York Yankees in the AL Championship Series.
Whoever loses will be returning home with nothing but bitter disappointment.
Matthew Boyd will take the ball for Cleveland, and the incredible Skubal, owner of a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts in the regular season, will toe the rubber for the Tigers.
Skubal is one of the most feared pitchers in MLB: just to prove his dominance, he has thrown 13 scoreless innings in the 2024 playoffs.
Seven of those came against the Guardians on Monday’s Game 2.
Guardians star Jose Ramirez isn’t afraid, though.
In fact, he is demanding people to give Cleveland’s offense some respect.
“Jose Ramirez on facing Tarik Skubal: “We’re going out to compete. I feel he should be asked the same question, ‘How is it going to feel facing our lineup?’ It’s going to be a competition. And I trust my guys to go after it,” Guardians reporter Chris Assenheimer wrote on X after a chat with J-Ram.
Jose Ramirez on facing Tarik Skubal: "We're going out to compete. I feel he should be asked the same question, 'How is it going to feel facing our lineup?' It's going to be a competition. And I trust my guys to go after it." #GuardsTown
— Chris AssenheimerC-T (@CAwesomeheimer) October 11, 2024
Ramirez broke out of his funk in Game 4 on Thursday, with a well-hit home run that helped spark his team’s offense.
Cleveland will need him more than ever on Saturday, as they all looked hopeless and helpless against Skubal on Monday.
It will be a fascinating game between two excellent pitchers.
Ramirez, however, trusts his teammates to come forward and contribute.
NEXT: Guardians Announce Game 5 Starter
