Guardians insider spotlights keys to success for Guardians against Detroit

The Cleveland Guardians' hopes to make the playoffs are still alive.

However, the team easily has one of the hardest tests of 2025 coming this week. Across the span of three games, the Guardians will play host to a division rival: the Detroit Tigers.

The Tigers currently sit above Cleveland in the AL Central standings with a record of 85-71, with the Guardians just 1.0 games behind at an 84-72 mark. Fortunately, the odds are in favor of the Guardians as they've gone 9-1 in the last 10 games, with Detroit going 1-9.

Cleveland Guardians host of "Guardians Live," Al Pawlowski, was on the Carlos Baerga Show via the BIGPLAY Sports Network and brought out what he believes the team needs to pull off a convincing series.

.@AlPawlowski & @gabbgoudy agree on tonight's blueprint:

THE GUARDIANS HAVE TO PUT UP ANNOYING AT BATS AGAINST TARIK SKUBAL! #GuardsBall

presented by: @SmartChoiceWin_ https://t.co/ka2vhjMQUs pic.twitter.com/kUxQOVkF27
— Carlos Baerga Show (@BaergaShow) September 23, 2025

"The guys that they can't stand facing are the guys that are annoying, or those guys that could put the bat on the ball and go the other way," Pawlowski said. "Or the guys that are willing just to take their singles."

The Guardians are certainly one of those "annoying" teams this season. Their ability to rally off hits and fight till the final out is something unseen across the rest of MLB.

They currently average just over seven hits and one home run a game. Those numbers are not shooting off the sheet and drawing eyes for being so high; they are relatively low numbers. They have a total of 1157 hits on the season, the worst mark in the league. Yet, it is enough for Cleveland to somehow, someway, come out and get a win on any given night.

They are currently averaging a team batting average of .226, placing them dead last in the league with the Los Angeles Angels.

But, as Pawlowski said, this team's mentality at the plate rattles opposing pitchers.

"I talked to Bob Whitman in 2006. I did a feature on him, and I will never forget what Bob said when I asked him," he said. "'Bob, in the ninth inning, bases loaded, two outs, who's the last guy you want to see stepping in that box?' And he told me 'Michael Young.'

"He said, 'I'd rather have a guy that's trying to hit the ball 500 feet off me than a guy that's going up there just looking to hit that line drive because that line drive hitter is going to beat me.'"

The Guardians currently have the 10th-worst offense in the league in doubles, the ninth-worst in triples, and the 10th-worst in home runs. They also sit second-to-last in on-base percentage and third-to-last in slugging percentage.

This isn't a team that is going to beat you deep every game or get on base often; the Guardians are just going to simply make it happen with bat-to-ball contact.

In August, Cleveland wasn't able to win many games. In the middle parts of the month, they lost nine of 10 games and fell 12 1/2 games behind the Tigers in the race for the AL Central. At that point, it looked like all was lost.

But since that losing skid, they rattled off 20 wins in the last 26 games. Practically overnight, the Guardians were back. They might not be pulling off traditional wins with a lethal offense and pitchers on the mound that are throwing shutouts, but they have a group of guys who have the right mentality.

In an interview with The Athletic, catcher Austin Hedges spoke on the ability of the team to turn a new corner.

“Going through it and overcoming it,” Hedges said, “is really powerful.”

A lineup that ranks dead last, and close to last, in numerous batting statistics is just a series out from being in the playoffs.

The 2025 Cleveland Guardians are special. There is no question about that.