First place in the American League Central is on the line as the Cleveland Guardians host the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday.

Tigers ace and reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal (13-5, 2.23 ERA) takes the mound opposite Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams (11-5, 3.06) in the three-game series opener.

It's a scenario that no one in either clubhouse thought would play out after Cleveland fell 15 1/2 games behind Detroit on July 8, but it's very real.

"We're going to carry a lot of momentum back home," Guardians catcher Austin Hedges said. "It's in our hands. We control our own destiny. If we win every game, we're in."

The Tigers (85-71) lead the defending Central champion Guardians (84-72) by one game with six to play. Also at stake is the head-to-head tiebreaker, which Cleveland

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