Jose Ramirez Powers Guardians Past Tigers 3-1 to Complete Sweep, Close AL Central Gap – Cleveland Wins Seventh Straight in Detroit (September 18, 2025)

Thursday, September 18th, 2025

Jose Ramirez's Clutch Homer Lifts Cleveland Guardians Over Detroit Tigers 3-1

The Cleveland Guardians continued their impressive late-season surge with a 3-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers, completing a crucial series sweep. Jose Ramirez delivered the game’s defining moment, launching a tiebreaking two-run homer in the seventh inning, immediately after Tigers ace Tarik Skubal exited the game.

Guardians Narrow the AL Central Gap

With this win, Cleveland extended its winning streak to seven games and closed within 3.5 games of the AL Central-leading Tigers, with just over a week left in the regular season. Both teams are scheduled to face off again in a pivotal three-game set from September 23-25.

Detroit, on the other hand, is mired in a slump. The Tigers have dropped six of their last seven games and 15 of their last 22, watching their once sizeable 11.5-game division lead shrink to an uncomfortable margin.

Pitching Highlights

Tarik Skubal made his return after a recent injury scare and was sharp, allowing one run on seven hits while striking out nine over six innings. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner exited with the game tied at 1-1. Reliever Troy Melton replaced him in the seventh, but only nine pitches into his outing, Jose Ramirez blasted a 368-foot home run to right field to put Cleveland ahead.

Cleveland’s offense struck earlier in the fourth with Jhonkensy Noel's solo homer, tying the contest. On the mound, Tanner Bibee improved to 11-11, limiting the Tigers to four hits and one run with eight strikeouts over six innings. Tim Herrin and Kolby Allard provided two innings of spotless relief, and Hunter Gaddis secured his third save in the ninth.

Troy Melton took the loss, surrendering two runs on two hits and a walk over 1 2/3 innings for Detroit.

Key Moment

The Tigers threatened early in the second inning, loading the bases with three hits, including an RBI double from Colt Keith. Despite having two on and no outs, Detroit failed to capitalize, as Cleveland's pitching tightened up. Keith left the game after the inning, citing back stiffness.

Key Stat

Cleveland’s victory puts them a season-best 10 games over .500. The Guardians have bounced back remarkably from a sub-.500 record on September 4, riding a stretch where they have won 12 of their last 13 games.

Up Next

The Guardians open an important road series against the Minnesota Twins, starting with LHP Parker Messick (3-0, 1.84 ERA) facing off against RHP Pablo Lopez (5-4, 2.64 ERA) on Friday night. Meanwhile, the Tigers return home to begin their final homestand, with RHP Charlie Morton (9-10, 5.66 ERA) slated to oppose Atlanta’s RHP Bryce Elder (7-10, 5.56 ERA).

In summary

The Cleveland Guardians continued their late-season charge with a dramatic three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers, paced by Jose Ramirez's timely seventh-inning homer. As the AL Central race tightens, Cleveland’s pitching and hot bats keep their playoff hopes alive, while Detroit searches for answers amid a challenging slump. With seven consecutive wins, the Guardians are now serious contenders in the division as both teams prepare for critical upcoming matchups.

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