CLEVELAND — Tarik Skubal, as only he can, just rewrote the narrative of this American League Wild Card Series, from the upstart Guardians taking down the Tigers at season’s end to the Tigers taking advantage of an ace among aces to put themselves a win away from advancing.
It can happen that quickly in a best-of-three. And after the Tigers’ 2-1 triumph in Game 1, this one continues with Game 2 on Wednesday afternoon at Progressive Field, where the Tigers will look to build off their newfound momentum and the Guardians will look to summon the scrappiness and never-say-die demeanor that got them here.
“Our backs have been against the wall for three months,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “What’s one more day?”
The Guards hope to live to fight another day behind Tanner Bibee, who came into the season billed as their ace and sometimes struggled to pitch like it before kicking into gear in September (1.30 ERA, 26 strikeouts, five walks in 27 2/3 innings).
Detroit counters with Casey Mize, who was left off their postseason roster a year ago and responded with an All-Star season that earned him this Game 2 assignment.
“I’m very excited to see him go,” Skubal said. “I’ve got the pleasure of being teammates with him since 2018. We came up together through the Minor Leagues, rehabbed together when we got hurt in the big leagues. I’ve seen the work he’s put in. I couldn’t be more excited to see him pitch and compete.”
In the history of best-of-three Wild Card Series, Game 1 winners have gone on to win the series 18 of 20 times (90%), including 16 sweeps. Teams to win Game 1 on the road have gone 11-2 in those series, including nine sweeps. The only two comebacks by teams that lost Game 1 at home both came in 2020 (A’s vs. White Sox and Padres vs. Cardinals).
When is the game and how can I watch it?
First pitch for Game 2 of the Tigers-Guardians Wild Card Series is set for 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday at Progressive Field. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
All series are available in the US on MLB.TV with authentication to a participating Pay TV provider. Games also are available live internationally, although not in Canada.
Who are the starting pitchers?
Tigers: Mize (14-6, 3.87) will walk up to the Tigers’ bullpen to warm up Wednesday, walk past the Guardians’ bullpen and be reminded where he was told by manager A.J. Hinch a year ago that he was left off the Tigers’ Division Series roster. The snub motivated him through his offseason workouts, setting him up for an impressive bounceback season in his second year back from Tommy John and back surgeries.
“To have this opportunity a year later in this place is pretty cool for me, just to see that full circle,” Mize said. “When you have your team trusting in you, your manager trusting in you, that’s always a great feeling as a competitor and as a teammate.”
Guardians: Bibee (12-11, 4.24 ERA) did not sound like a guy who is expecting to be surprised by what the Tigers will throw at him on Wednesday. It makes sense, certainly given Bibee’s final two regular-season outings were against Detroit.
“They’re pretty similar to us, I would say,” Bibee said Tuesday. “They play the matchups. I’m guessing I’m getting six lefties [Wednesday], seven lefties. I think that’s just the challenge [when] you play them. You play a team that plays a lot of matchups.
“… It’s going to be fun. It’s like a little chess game.”
Bibee endured an inconsistent and at-times frustrating 2025 season, after he emerged as Cleveland’s ace in ‘24. He found his form down the stretch, and the Guardians will need him to build upon his strong finish to keep their season alive at least one more day. Bibee went at least six innings in his final six regular-season starts while recording a 2.93 ERA.
What are the starting lineups?
Tigers: Don’t expect big changes in Detroit’s lineup from Game 1. Wenceel Pérez has largely struggled against Bibee (2-for-13, 7 K’s), but his switch-hitting bat helps the lefty-righty balance to try to counter Cleveland’s bullpen versatility.
DeLauter did not play in Game 1, but with the right-handed Mize starting, this could be an opportunistic moment to get him in there. You can’t simulate how a 23-year-old will respond to debuting on the game’s highest stage, but by all accounts DeLauter has handled himself well so far.
“When he walked into the clubhouse,” Vogt said, “He was like, ‘I’m ready to go. I couldn’t be more thrilled to be here.’ Was not big-eyed at all. He’s ready to help us win games.”
DeLauter worked out in center field on Monday and pregame Tuesday. If he does not start, Daniel Schneemann and Angel Martínez are the two likeliest options for center.
How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
Tigers: Will Vest followed Skubal for a 15-pitch, four-out save in Game 1, so the Tigers should have everyone available. Tyler Holton and Brant Hurter could be deployed aggressively to try to counter Cleveland’s left-handed hitters. If Mize struggles early, don’t be surprised if Hinch turns to rookie Troy Melton, who tossed 4 1/3 solid innings against the Guardians in a spot start last Thursday.
Guardians: Hunter Gaddis (19 pitches), Erik Sabrowski (five) and Cade Smith (19) followed Williams in Game 1 and combined to throw three-plus scoreless innings. Each should be available once more in Game 2.
Any injuries of note?
Tigers: No new injuries on the Tigers’ postseason roster.
Guardians: No new injuries on the Guardians’ postseason roster.
Who is hot and who is not?
Tigers: Kerry Carpenter is 3-for-13 with a double, home run and three RBIs against Bibee, but went 0-for-6 against him in two meetings in September. … Javier Báez had two hits in Game 1 and is 8-for-27 over his past five games dating back to last Thursday. … Vest has tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings with five strikeouts over his last three outings.
Guardians: Kyle Manzardo has recorded a hit in his past five postseason games, dating back to 2024. Steven Kwan (who went 2-for-19 over his final five regular-season games) went 0-for-4 in Game 1.
Anything else fans might want to know?
The Guardians are now 11-17 all-time in Game 1 of a postseason series. Of the previous 16 instances in which they lost a Game 1, they went on to win the series five times: 1998 ALDS vs. the Red Sox, ‘97 ALCS vs. the Orioles, ‘97 ALDS vs. the Yankees, ‘95 ALCS vs. the Mariners and ‘48 World Series vs. the Boston Braves.
