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

Comparing the pitching of the Guardians and Tigers

Just like the hitting stats from each team, the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers' pitching numbers are also very similar.

Cleveland: 3.61 ERA, 1,428 innings pitched, 1.20 WHIP, 1,224 hits allowed, 572 earned runs, 179 home runs given up, 492 walks, 1,410 strikeouts in 161 games.

Detroit: 3.61 ERA, 1,447 innings pitched, 1.16 WHIP, 1,265 hits allowed, 581 earned runs, 159 home runs given up, 416 walks, 1,354 strikeouts in 162 games.

Again, these overall stat lines from the pitching staff are very close, with a few differences between the two teams. The Guardians have struck out more batters but have also allowed more home runs and baserunners via the base on balls this season, not exactly a great combo for the postseason. The Tigers have allowed more hits than Cleveland but have the edge in the walks and home runs allowed, which may make it difficult for the Guardians offense to score consistently.

Of course, each team's pitching staff cannot be discussed without mentioning the likely top two finishers in American League Cy Young voting in Tarik Skubal and Emmanuel Clase. Skubal has experienced a breakout year for Detroit as the ace of their staff and is likely to win the Cy Young this season. Meanwhile, Clase has been the anchor at the back end of Cleveland's bullpen, closing games with relative ease on a consistent basis. It is difficult to compare the impact of a starter and a closer, but Clase should be available to pitch in most, if not every game, while Skubal's appearances will be limited. It would not be entirely surprising to see Clase impacting this series more than Skuba due to the role each player is in, but the Guardians will have to get themselves in a position to insert him into a game while Skubal will be starting which game(s) he does appear in during this series.