In Oppressive Cleveland Heat, Tigers Rid Themselves Of Burden
By Will Burchfield @Burchie_kid
CLEVELAND (CBS DETROIT) - The Tigers will tell you that Wednesday's victory in Cleveland, their first one over the Indians this season, was just another win.
And you'd be crazy to believe them.
In a span of nine innings, the Tigers washed away three months of frustration. They overcame the Tribe for the first time in 12 tries, a feat that was beginning to seem out of their reach. Confronted by the notion that they couldn't beat this team, that the Indians owned them all the way from Cleveland to Detroit, the Tigers sized up the doubt and blasted it into Lake Erie.
Suddenly, that 11-game losing streak doesn't seem so leaden. The recent past doesn't feel like such a burden. On a hot and heavy afternoon at Progressive Field, the Tigers lifted a load off their shoulders.
Their impotence against the Indians is a thing of the past.
"I just see it as another win," said Michael Fulmer, who was as measured with the media as he was on the mound.
Just another win? That's like shrugging off filet mignon as just another piece of meat. As far as midseason victories are concerned, this one was as juicy and as satisfying as they come.
That's why the music was playing a little bit louder in the Tigers' clubhouse afterward. That's why the banter was of a lighter tone. The locker room is always livelier after a win, of course, but on this occasion there was an extra dash of energy.
It's as if a noose was being loosened around their necks. In the company of the Indians, the Tigers can breathe again.
Wednesday's win wasn't a cure-all, of course. The Indians are still the better of the two teams, most clearly when it comes to starting pitching. What's more, their lead over the Tigers remains at six-and-a-half games, a gap that grows more daunting by the day.
But those facts don't seem to matter, not at the moment. This was a psychological win for the Tigers, and one they desperately needed. There were cracks beginning to show in the team's steely façade, suggestions that 0-11 was taking its toll. Miguel Cabrera was tossed out of Tuesday night's game. Ian Kinsler, lashing out at the ump from the dugout, nearly joined him.
The frustration was boiling over.
By winning on Wednesday, and winning convincingly, the Tigers relieved some of that pressure. They exorcised their most persistent demons, proving to themselves that, damnet, we can beat these guys. There is a big difference between believing that and knowing it to be true.
Their renewed confidence against the Indians is no small thing. The two teams play six more times this season, and the path to the playoffs in the A.L. Central is likely to go through Cleveland. There will be no bypassing the Tribe.
The next time these clubs meet, for a weekend series in mid-September, the scales won't seem so tipped. The outcome won't seem so preordained. The Tigers and Indians will take the field knowing the game is entirely up for grabs. That's the difference between 12-0 and 11-1.
For now, though, the Tigers are off to Toronto, where they'll take on the surging Blue Jays. On a day when most of the team downplayed a big victory, it was their manager – the most reticent of them all – who spoke to the emotional lift.
"There's definitely a little bit of weight off the shoulders just to beat the Indians after 11 straight losses," Brad Ausmus said. "Now we can move on from that.
"It makes for a happy flight."
