The Detroit Tigers swept the Houston Astros in the American League Wild Card Series. They are the first team to defeat the Astros before the ALCS since the 2015 Royals. While this was a massive upset, Detroit is not done yet. They have an ALDS matchup with the Cleveland Guardians looming. Before that begins, we’ll make our Tigers ALDS bold predictions.

On August 11, the Tigers had a 0.2% chance to make the playoffs, per FanGraphs. Since that day, they are 32-13 including the playoffs. They launched into contention for the Wild Card, outlasted the floundering Twins, and are now in the Division Series.

The crazy run is only matched by a few in MLB history. The 2024 Tigers, 2011 Cardinals, 1969 Mets, and 1964 Cardinals are the only teams to be 10 GB over 110 games into a season, make the playoffs, and win a series, per ESPN. Each of the other three won the World Series.

They showed their recipe for winning in their Wild Card win and look to keep that up this week. Ahead of the big Tigers vs Guardians matchup, let’s make our Tigers ALDS predictions.

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Riley Greene will have 5+ RBI

members of the Detroit Tigers celebrate defeating the Houston Astros in game two of the Wildcard round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Minute Maid Park.
Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The story of the 2024 Tigers has been the depth of their lineup and production from all over the diamond. The leader of the tribe is Riley Greene, the left fielder who only played 137 games. He still led the team with 24 home runs, 74 RBI, and a 133 OPS+ in the regular season. They need him to emerge as a superstar in this series and he will.

Expect Riley Greene to have at least five RBIs in this series. The Guardians do not have excellent starting pitching but have one of the best bullpens in baseball. While Greene and the Tigers will struggle in the later innings, they had some success against the Guardians this season. The Tigers won six of their 13 games against Cleveland.

Andy Ibañez was the hero in the Wild Card Series, hitting the go-ahead three-run double in the eighth inning. Greene did not have any RBIs against the Astros. He went 1-9 with a double and a walk and the Tigers still succeeded. They will need more against the Guardians and their 24-year-old star will give it to them.

Tarik Skubal will shove in both starts

The Tigers are not in the ALDS without their ace Tarik Skubal, The presumptive Cy Young winner pitched six innings of shutout ball in Game 1 to put the Astros on their heels. Their starting pitcher depth is not superb, especially after trading Jack Flaherty, and they need Skubal to win the series.

Skubal will be able to pitch Games 2 and 5 on regular rest, which is huge for the Tigers. Both of those games will be on the road and if Game 5 does happen, they will be one win from the ALCS. After his dominant performance in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, expect him to thrive in the hostile environment of Cleveland in the playoffs.

This season, Skubal only faced the Guardians one time. He threw seven innings of one-run ball in an 8-2 Tigers road win in July. While the Guardians did get ten hits off him, that performance shows that he can pick apart this lineup. Expect Skubal to do just that in both of his starts and be the reason that the Tigers move on.

The Tigers will win the series in five games

Why would the Gritty Tigs stop now? They have had their backs against the wall for almost two months and thrived in those conditions. They have won Skubal games, bullpen games, blowouts, close games, and everything in between. The Guardians were the best team in the AL Central this year and challenged for the AL’s top record. But the Tigers are hot, which is sometimes all that matters in October.

Last year, the Diamondbacks and Rangers came from the Wild Card round to face off in the World Series. If any team was going to make a similar run this year, it would be the Tigers. They have the pitching, a deep lineup, and are blistering hot. They can continue their run on Saturday when Game 1 against the Cleveland Guardians begins.