It was far from a good time for the Cleveland Guardians during their visit in the Motor City as they were swept but the Detroit Tigers. This comes after being swept by the Red Sox the week before, winning three of five from the Twins, and dropping two of three to the Yankees. Cleveland has now dropped 12 of their last 16 games and the high of a momentary division has completed disappeared.
The Guardians were outscored 28-10 by the Tigers, an offense that is far from prolific. Following this series Detroit has a -83 run differential while Cleveland’s has dipped to -16. Detroit collected 42 hits while they limited Cleveland to 27 including an abysmal two-hit performance in the first game of Monday’s doubleheader.
The timing of this letdown series could not have come at a worse time. This was a prime opportunity for a reeling Guardians squad to right the ship and get back on track. The team has struggled as of late and should have taken advantage of one of the lesser teams in the American League, even with their spark following their call-up of Riley Greene. Detroit has been playing better since his arrival, but that does not excuse the continued struggles against the lowly Tigers.
Cleveland needs to regroup on their off day Thursday and prepare for a three-game set in Kansas City. Perhaps the Royals can be the catalyst Cleveland needs to jump start their offense. If not it could lead to some long term decisions being made rather than capitalizing on an open division race. The Guardians have shown their ability to compete in the American League Central and need to get back to competing rather than laying down and giving up on the season.
