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Tigers' Riley Greene Floored by Stat Showing Tigers' Futility at the Plate vs. Guardians

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nick Meyer | Last updated Sep 24, 2025 11:23 AM ET

The Detroit Tigers dropped a 5-2 game at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Tuesday night that included a strong start from ace left Tarik Skubal and a close score for much of the game before the Guardians took control.

The Guardians big win evened up the two teams in the American League Central at 85-72 each with just five games left on the 2025 schedule.

After the game, Tigers outfielder Riley Greene was interviewed and had a hard time understanding the depths of Detroit's futility at the plate.

The Tigers' usually powerful and efficient lineup was hamstrung by the Guardians' Gavin Williams, Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith as they had a hard time making meaningful contact with the ball all night.

Greene's Stunned Look at Tigers' Strikeout Stat

Greene was attentive to a reporter in the locker room as the reporter told him that the Tigers had 19 Ks (strikeouts), adding, "That's not gonna get it done usually."

Greene was beside himself and had trouble believing Detroit had struck out so many times.

"Nineteen Ks for what?" Greene asked.

"Tonight," the reporter replied, which the Tigers star had a hard time believing.

Riley Greene gets stun locked when told the Tigers struck out 19 times against the Guardians tonight. https://t.co/TyWtGDP2qR pic.twitter.com/4MyHDKYrQg
— Motor City Metrics (@mcmbaseballpod) September 24, 2025

The Tigers were fanned 12 times by Williams, twice by Sabrowski, three times by Gaddis and twice by Smith. Their loss to the Guardians continued a slide that few saw coming; now it's up to Jack Flaherty to stop the bleeding.

Game 2 Brings Hope for Tigers

Scheduled Tigers starter Jack Flaherty has a championship winning history with the Dodgers and a long, colorful history with the Tigers franchise.

Flaherty set high standards for himself this season, as did Tigers fans, and didn't quite live up to them for the most part.

The Tigers righty is nevertheless a talented pitcher who often performs well under the bright lights. Detroit knows they may likely have to score more runs with Flaherty on the mound as opposed to their ace Skubal.

That could foster a much better performance at the plate on Wednesday night with baseball fans nationwide keeping a close eye on how things go in Cleveland.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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