Guardians face tough task in ALDS Game 2 versus Detroit

Every playoff game in October is tough, everyone knows this. However, there are certain matchups that are undeniably tougher than others. This is where the Cleveland Guardians find themselves in regard to Monday's contest with the Detroit Tigers.

The Guardians will be facing Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal in the second game of the ALDS. Skubal comes in as the American League Cy Young favorite, and it is easy to see why. Skubal's 18 wins this season lead all of baseball, and his 228 strikeouts also come in as the top mark in the majors. Additionally, Skubal's 2.39 ERA was the best in the American League for qualified starters, setting up what could be a long day for Guardians hitters.

Cleveland only faced Skubal once this season, collecting 10 hits in 7 innings against Skubal, but they were only able to score one run against him in an 8-2 loss to Detroit. This was the tail-end of a minor hiccup for the Guardians coming after the All-Star break. Cleveland was clearly off following the conclusion of those festivities, so it is not necessarily a surprise to see them struggle in the manner they did in this matchup.

When it comes to lifetime matchups against Skubal, the Guardians do not have a ton of players with positive track records. Of course, Jose Ramirez and his 9-21 line, including three doubles and a triple leading the way, but there are only two other Guardians with more than one hit against Skubal. Tyler Freeman (3-6) and Austin Hedges (3-8) have surprisingly found success against Detroit's ace, a possible foreshadowing of who could be in the lineup to start the game on Monday. Their potential inclusion in the lineup may not be all that exciting to some, but it is hard to argue against past success against an arm that very few have been able to solve this season.

The good thing for the Guardians is that they come into this matchup with a 1-0 lead over Detroit. Winning the first game of the ALDS was an absolute must for Cleveland, knowing that they were going to face Skubal in Game 2. Skubal is going to give everything he has in the tank and then some in order to keep the Tigers one game away from elimination. Cleveland will have their chance to win, but anyone and everyone knew their toughest test in this series would be in this particular game.

If this sounds like a pre-emptive waving of the white flag, this would be an incorrect interpretation. This is simply an acknowledgment of the difficulties the Guardians may have against Skubal and the chances of it happening. With that being said, the Guardians did not get to a 92-69 record in the regular season by accident. This is a talented ballclub capable of battling it out with the best teams in the sport. Expect a hard-fought game against Detroit that hopefully results in a Game 2 win.