by For the final stretch of their six-game homestand, the Cleveland Guardians will welcome the rival Detroit Tigers for a three-game series. The Guardians are currently in the midst of what’s been the worst streak of their season, as they’ve dropped seven of their last 10 and have gone ice cold at the plate.
As for Detroit, the team is now fully rejuvenated and appears to be breaking out of the dog days of May. Ace starter and 2025 American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal will be returning to action this weekend, and the Guardians will have to deal with the shifty left-hander on Saturday.
Winners of seven out of their last 10, the Tigers are coming off a series in which they dominated the Minnesota Twins. Detroit scored over 10 runs twice against Minnesota-this was after the Tigers bested the Seattle Mariners and American League-leading Tampa Bay Rays in their previous two series.
Friday’s match will pit two right-handers against each other: Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee and Detroit’s Jack Flaherty.
Bibee, who has been deprived of run support from his team’s bats all season long, finally picked up a winning decision in his last start on June 6th. Pitching against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Bibee tossed eight innings of shutout baseball, giving up just three hits and striking out three as well.
Flaherty, a 30-year-old veteran of 10 major league campaigns, has similarly struggled to acquire run support and earn winning decisions. However, his last two starts have arguably been his best, allowing just three combined runs across 10 innings of work and punching out 13 batters.
After putting up a major stinker against the New York Yankees earlier this week, this series has the potential to put the Guardians in an even bigger hole if they aren’t careful.
The Chicago White Sox have already claimed the division lead after a successful series against the Atlanta Braves, and have been playing at a level just as high as Detroit in recent weeks. Luckily enough for Cleveland, they’re only a half-game back.
All eyes will be on the Guardians’ lineup this weekend at Progressive Field, as the unit has slowed to a screeching halt. Playing against the Tigers has been a successful remedy for Jose Ramirez, who has a career average of .307 and has racked up nearly 200 hits and 40 home runs.
If anyone can bring the juice back into this dreary lineup, it would be Ramirez.
First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. on Friday, with temperatures approaching 80 degrees.
