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Guardians-Tigers series preview, keys featuring Tarik Skubal, 'Playoff Rocchio' and more
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- Guardians-Tigers series preview, keys featuring Tarik Skubal, 'Playoff Rocchio' and more
CLEVELAND — Familiar foes meet in October again.
The Guardians and Detroit Tigers , two teams who recently seem to be an obstacle for the other, will battle in a best-of-three Wild Card Series beginning Tuesday, Sept. 30. First pitch is set for 1:08 p.m.
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Cleveland pulled off a historic 15.5-game comeback to steal the division, as well as the No. 3 seed and home-field advantage, from Detroit. A scorching hot September in Cleveland was compounded by a free fall in Detroit, and the two are now again aligned for a playoff series.
A year ago, the Guardians and Tigers fought tooth-and-nail in the ALDS, and Cleveland eventually prevailed in a win-or-go-home Game 5 thanks to Lane Thomas' earth-shattering grand slam off Tigers ace Tarik Skubal .
Here are the top keys to the series for the Guardians.
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal celebrates at the end of the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians on Sept. 23, 2025, in Cleveland.
Can Cleveland get the best of Tarik Skubal one more time?
In a baseball sense, Skubal is an absolute monster. The Guardians will have to go through him yet again.
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Skubal was easily the runaway Cy Young winner last year. This season, by most major metrics, he was even better.
He's the best pitcher in baseball. He's the last pitcher any hitter wants to see on the mound. And he is who awaits the Guardians lineup in Game 1.
The Tigers opted to not pitch Skubal in their regular-season finale with the division on the line. They knew they'd rather have him on the road in the first round than start anyone else in Game 1 at home. And in a best-of-three series, perhaps no player in baseball is more valuable — outside of Shohei Ohtani — than Skubal considering how immediately he can put an opposing team's backs against the wall.
Everyone remembers Thomas' grand slam off Skubal in Game 5 to send the Guardians to the ALCS. But the Tigers ace also turned in a dominant performance in Game 2 of that series, when he shut down Cleveland's lineup for seven scoreless innings.
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That was in a best-of-five series. In a best-of-three format, a starting pitcher has even more leverage.
The Guardians also recently twice beat the Tigers with Skubal on the mound, though they scored only one run off him each time. In a way, they've been his Kryptonite. But how they handle him in Game 1 is now mission No. 1 in a short playoff series.
"I'm just hoping that everybody's not kind of assuming it's going to be the same as the last two series," said left fielder Steven Kwan . "They're going to come out and they're going do their homework."
Cleveland Guardians' Angel Martinez, left, and Brayan Rocchio celebrate after Rocchio hit a three-run home run to win a game against the Texas Rangers on Sept. 28, 2025, in Cleveland.
Can 'Playoff Rocchio' and the bottom of the Guardians lineup come through?
The biggest issue when evaluating the Guardians as postseason contenders is the back half of their lineup. Kwan is an All-Star. Jose Ramirez is a genuine superstar talent. Kyle Manzardo had a strong season as the No. 4 hitter in the order.
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After that trio in the Guardians lineup? It was a constant search for answers all season , and it nearly sank their playoff hopes (even below the one percent they actually had at one point) when they were shut out five times during a 10-game losing streak in early June and late July.
Whether the Guardians can advance might first and foremost come down to a few hitters not named Kwan, Ramirez or Manzardo producing. Their best hope might be Brayan Rocchio , who not only hit the walk-off home run in the regular-season finale , but is often referred to by teammates as "Playoff Rocchio."
Last year, Rocchio had a slow regular season but was red-hot in the playoffs, hitting .333 with a .906 OPS and earning the nickname.
In 2025, again after a cold offensive season, Rocchio began to find his swing toward the end of September, hitting .281 with a .730 OPS entering Sept. 28, when he drilled the walk-off home run off the foul pole as if to ring a bell that the playoffs were here.
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"He just has that it factor, that clutch factor — the bigger the moment, the better," catcher Austin Hedges said of Playoff Rocchio. "So much confidence anytime Rocchio's up, so much confidence that he's going to get the job done. He might've bunted, he might've got a hit or he might hit an absolute nuke to walk it off."
Can the Guardians maximize their pitching staff in a best-of-3 series?
The Guardians starting rotation went on one of the best 19-game runs in more than 100 years of baseball, a six-man buzzsaw that became the epitome of consistency. It was arguably the biggest reason for Cleveland's scorching hot September that got them into October.
But in a best-of-three series, that advantage is drastically altered. Gavin Williams is expected to start Game 1. Tanner Bibee would likely take the mound for Game 2.
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But how the Guardians squeeze the rest of that rotation into a playoff series, and how some of them adjust to possibly coming out of the bullpen, is now a major storyline over the next week. If a Game 3 is needed, Stephen Vogt could almost take a page of Detroit's 2024 book, when it was Skubal and "pitching chaos."
Joey Cantillo , Slade Cecconi and Parker Messick all could be available as openers or out of the bullpen. Last October, the Guardians rode their elite, best-in-baseball bullpen to the ALCS. The 2025 edition hasn't been as other-worldly dominant, but they did finish the season third in pitching ERA and first in FIP .
Emmanuel Clase began to break down last October, and it played a major role in sinking their postseason. How a few Guardians starters integrate to a playoff series, and whether the bullpen as a whole can retain its effectiveness this time around, are among Cleveland's biggest concerns.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians vs Detroit Tigers 2025 Wild Card Series preview, top keys
