CLEVELAND — Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal is the best pitcher in the world.

He choked in the biggest game.

Three mistakes from Skubal in the sixth inning doomed the Tigers in a 5-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday, Sept. 23, in the first of three games in the series at Progressive Field.

The Tigers have lost seven games in a row.

With the loss, the Tigers (85-72) squandered their lead in the American League Central to the Guardians (85-72) with five games remaining in the 2025 season — because the Guardians have the tiebreaker. In Tuesday's game, the Guardians clinched the head-to-head tiebreaker in the 13-game season series. Expert MLB daily picks: Unique MLB betting insights only at USA TODAY ONE BIG PROBLEM: Why worry about Tigers in AL Central showdown?

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