Cleveland Guardians come back down to Earth in 4-2 loss to Detroit Tigers

The Cleveland Guardians can't win every single game, even if it felt like that the past three weeks.

Thursday night was, well, a bummer for Guardians fans. The scuffling Detroit Tigers desperately needed a win and they put two ugly losses behind them to salvage the series and earn a gritty, 4-2 win.

It seemed as if the Guardians had broken the spirit of the entire Tigers roster by the end of Wednesday night. But Detroit did not waste any time on Thursday responding with authority. Parker Messick was on the mound for the Guardians and proceeded to give up two homers through his first three batters of the game.

A 2-0 deficit has been nothing for the Guardians during this historic run, but they can't be clutch every single night. That's just the reality of baseball.

Tigers avoid the sweep…

But, #Guardians still essentially in first place atop the AL Central Division due to owning the tiebreaker.

Magic Number AL Central: 3

Magic Number Wildcard: 2
— Nick Camino (@NickCaminoWKYC) September 26, 2025

The Tigers had six pitchers combine to give up two runs on five hits, striking out eight in the process. Austin Hedges had two of the five hits, summing up the kind of night it was for the offense.

The loss was frustrating and fans may be worried about what it means for the team's playoff chances. Luckily, the Guardians gave themselves some breathing room by winning the series.

Let's start with the AL Central division race. The Guardians and Tigers have identical 86-73 records atop the division. By courtesy of a head-to-head tiebreaker, the Guardians have the edge and technically lead the division. MLB removed the "Game 163" division tiebreaker game a few years back, so head-to-head is the first tiebreaker. Thus, the Guardians automatically win the division if they sweep the Texas Rangers.

But what if they struggle and the Tigers take the Central? The Houston Astros are on the outside looking in for the third Wild Card spot with a record of 85-74. Both Cleveland and Detroit hold the tiebreaker over Houston, which gives both teams an edge.

If the Guardians take only two of three from Texas, and Detroit sweeps their series against the Boston Red Sox, Cleveland would take that third and final Wild Card spot. If they win one game, they would need the Astros to lose one against the Los Angeles Angels. And if, worst-case scenario, Cleveland gets swept by Texas, they would need to hope the Astros lose two of three to the Angels.

Those are all the scenarios, but the Guardians can make it easy by just winning out and taking the AL Central crown.