CLEVELAND — The inning spoke volumes for both teams.
It came in the bottom of the sixth in the opening game of a crucial series between the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers on Tuesday. The two rivals had been going in opposite directions for the better part of a month — the Guardians surging from a seemingly insurmountable deficit while the Tigers were falling faster than a ball dropped from the upper deck of Comerica Park.
All-world pitcher Tarik Skubal was nursing a 2-0 lead, meaning the end of the Tigers’ woes were just a few innings away, right? Not so fast. Not with “Guard ball” ready to be deployed.
What is Guard ball?
“It was just a bunch of team-focused at-bats, trying to scratch a few runs across,” first baseman Kyle Manzardo said.
How about three consecutive bunt attempts, forcing the defense — and Skubal in particular — into uncomfortable positions while the Guardians took advantage. Left fielder Steven Kwan started the inning with a bunt single toward third base and the wheels quickly came off for the Tigers against Cleveland’s form of havoc.
“It’s always in the back of my mind against Skubal,” Kwan said after the 5-2 series-opening victory.
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Kwan has tried bunting toward first base against Skubal previously, knowing the lefty would have a tough time making the play. This time he went the other direction.
“Was more of a desperation play,” he explained. “Just trying to get something in play and create some chaos.”
“Chaos” is a word you’ll hear yelled often from the Guardians’ dugout. Or perhaps it’ll be “turmoil.” Anything that screams action. The Guardians want things in motion.
Kwan’s bunt was followed by one from Angel Martinez. He accomplished what Kwan had wanted to do previously: push the ball toward first base.
“We didn’t even talk about it, which is the fun part,” Kwan said. “Everyone was like ‘great idea, back-to-back bunts.’ I didn’t tell anyone. He didn’t tell anyone.”
When Skubal fielded Martinez’s bunt up the line, he didn’t have time to turn and fire to first, so instead he flicked the ball between his legs with his back toward the bag. It sailed over first baseman Spencer Torkelson’s head and landed down the right-field line, putting runners on second and third with no outs.
Cleveland had the Tigers right where they wanted them while Detroit was entering the what-can-go-wrong-will-go-wrong phase of their game.
“That’s Guard ball right there,” catcher Austin Hedges said with a smile.
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Perhaps the only surprise is that it would be Skubal who would continue to make mistakes — some of which came after a scary moment when Guardians DH David Fry was hit in the face by a 99 mph fastball during his own bunt attempt.
Fry would eventually be carted off the field and taken to a local hospital with facial fractures and lacerations. When the game resumed, the Guardians had a cause to play for.
“What happened next was because of the Fry hit by the ball,” second baseman Brayan Rocchio said. “We took a bad moment and turned it. That game was for him.”
‘What happened next’ was Skubal threw a wild pitch to Fry’s replacement, George Valera. That plated a run. Then moments later, he balked Jose Martinez to third who then scored on a Gabriel Arias ground out. Skubal was shaken and the Guardians had the lead.
“I was just trying to get into a rhythm, just to steal third and when the infielders saw I was moving more than normal they said something to [Skubal] to step off and he got a little sped up,” Ramirez said of the balk through the team interpreter.
Cleveland would not surrender the lead they just took, taking Game 1 before doing much of the same in Game 2 — pouncing after Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler dropped a foul popup then putting the game away when Ramirez delivered a bases-loaded, two-run double. They won that game 5-1 and in the process won the series and secured the tiebreaker with Detroit.
But any clinching celebrations would have to wait at least a day as Detroit took Game 3, breaking an eight-game losing skid, and the Houston Astros won, leaving Cleveland’s magic number for a postseason berth at one.
Nonetheless, the Guardians’ playoff odds have risen to 94%, according to ESPN Analytics, and they enter the final weekend of the season in the AL Central driver’s seat. It’s an unfathomable position for Cleveland to be in considering they entered September 10½ games out in the AL Central and seven games behind the Astros in the wild-card race.
“We find ways to win,” Hedges said. “We don’t rely on home runs and outslugging teams. It’s just not our identity. It’s other teams’ identity and that’s great. But for our group, it’s this way.”
Manzardo added of the two games this week that turned Cleveland’s dreams of playing in October to the verge of becoming reality: “That’s the most extreme version of Guardians ball and making stuff happen that you’ll see.”
“That’s been the story of the second half for us”
The Guardians’ journey can’t be told without the events of July 3 and July 28. That’s when starter Luis Ortiz and closer Emmanuel Clase were placed on administrative leave, respectively, in an MLB gambling investigation that is still ongoing.
The news sent shockwaves through the team and the league, leading most observers to believe Cleveland’s postseason hopes were cooked. When they traded rehabbing starter and former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber to the Toronto Blue Jays on July 31, it further cemented that idea. The Guardians were already nine games out in the AL Central and, from the outside, appeared to be playing for next year.
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But those remaining in the Cleveland clubhouse had other ideas. After shaking off a 10-game losing skid — and the subtractions from their roster — the Guardians put their head down and went to work.
“This is life,” Ramirez said. “Sometimes bad things happen. Sometimes good things happen. Now is a good time.”
Ramirez, a perennial AL MVP contender, led an offense that found its stride by manufacturing runs in any way possible while the team’s starting pitching turned whatever scoring the offense could muster into wins with a historic stretch of run prevention.
Though none of them are household names nationally, Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, Logan Allen, Slade Cecconi and Joey Cantillo have been dominant in the second half. Their stretch of 19 consecutive games giving up two runs or fewer came to an end on Thursday, but not before their performance carried them to the top of the AL Central.
“We were built on our bullpen last year,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “We didn’t have the length from our rotation we’re getting this year. We had a historically good bullpen so we went to them as often as possible.”
That formula has been flipped this season, according to Vogt, especially after losing Clase. Now, the strength of the team lies in the rotation.
“When we lost the ninth inning, the starters picked up the sixth,” Vogt said of replacing his star closer. “That’s been the story of the second half for us.”
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While Vogt’s sentiment rings true, the numbers don’t exactly fit the narrative. Before Clase was put on leave, Cleveland’s rotation was averaging 5⅓ innings pitched. Since he’s been gone, they’ve bumped it up to 5⅔ innings. A small but impactful improvement and being able to pick each other up wherever needed has only added to the vibe in the clubhouse.
“It’s been so fun,” Gavin Williams said. “We’ve had a good stretch.”
Reliever Koby Allard added: “The amount of fun we’re having is really memorable.”
But entering the final days of the regular season, the Guardians know that nothing has been clinched yet and those memories won’t be as special if they don’t finish the deal. And they know better than anyone how quickly the story of a season can be turned upside down.
“Two months ago, it didn’t feel like we were playing for a lot,” Kwan said. “Just the sheer fact that we’re playing for a playoff spot is such a blessing.”
