Guardians vs Tigers - Breaking down the AL Central showdown in the ALDS

Comparing the offenses of the Guardians and Tigers

Considering how close the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers played each other during the regular season, it is no surprise to see that their offensive numbers are very comparable to one another.

Cleveland: .238/.307/.395 team slash line, 245 doubles, 185 home runs, 18 triples, 670 RBI, 148 stolen bases, 1,196 strikeouts, 466 walks in 161 games played

Detroit: .234/.300/.385 team slash line, 244 doubles, 162 home runs, 47 triples, 656 RBI, 76 stolen bases, 1,461 strikeouts, 476 walks, in 162 games played

For the most part, these two teams have nearly identical team numbers, with just a few areas in which either team has a notable advantage. The Guardians have more home runs, steal more bases, and strike out less, while the Tigers hold a massive edge in triples. Detroit has almost 30 more triples than Cleveland this season, but that is somewhat expected considering the way the Tigers roster is built. Six players on Detroit's roster have five triples or more this season, showing that this is a collective effort rather than one player racking up triples, and it is no surprise they are MLB's best in this area.

Meanwhile, Cleveland has been aggressive on the basepaths in a different manner by stealing the fifth-most bases in all of baseball. This series appears to be one that will be decided by which version of baserunning aggressiveness is more repeatable, triples or stolen bases.