The Cleveland Guardians’ quest to defend their AL Central crown is facing some stiff competition from the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins, who recently went on a 13-game winning streak.
Cleveland is struggling to keep pace lately, and one analyst recently sent a warning to the team ahead of its upcoming matchup with Detroit.
Analyst Andre Knott stressed the importance of the four-game series and how damaging it could be.
“When we get to Detroit, you can’t get swept, I’ll just put it that way, you can’t let them sweep you,” Knott said, via ESPN Cleveland. “Let me tell you this, [the Tigers] are the best team in baseball right now. The way they’re pitching and the way they’re playing in Detroit, they’re a locomotive, but [the Guardians] cannot let them win four games in a row against them this week.”
"When we get to Detroit, you can't get swept, I'll just put it that way, you can't let them sweep you," – @DreKnott on the importance of the upcoming Tigers/Guardians series. pic.twitter.com/HskvXhpK15
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) May 19, 2025
Detroit is among the leaders in team ERA and near the top in major offensive categories as well, so it’s no surprise it has had success so far.
In their first meeting of the season, the Guardians are projected to face Reese Olson, Jackson Jobe, Keider Montero and Tarik Skubal as the Tigers’ starting pitchers.
Cleveland hasn’t scored more than five runs in any of its past eight games, and prior to visiting Detroit has three games at Minnesota, which has been shutting down everybody lately.
It’s a pivotal early-season stretch for the Guardians that could make or break the season.
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