​If there was one opponent that looked like it could be a perfect matchup to help the Cleveland Guardians get back on track, it was the Detroit Tigers.Cleveland has had Detroit’s numbers the last few years, and heading into Monday night, the Guardians had won all six games against their division rival in 2026.That all came to an end in the series opener, as the Guardians dropped the game, 6-4, and, on top of that, have now lost 14 of their last 18 contests.The story of Monday’s loss was similar to the last few weeks; the Guardians got a respectable outing from their starter, but the offense couldn’t score enough runs to win.Tanner Bibee pitched into the seventh inning, giving up a total of five earned runs. He also struck out four batters and only gave up five hits.It wasn’t Bibee’s best outing, but it was enough for the Guardians to win the game.The Guardians had no issues getting traffic on the base paths. As a team, they outhit the Tigers with nine knocks and generated three walks in game one of the series. However, getting those runners around to score still feels like an impossible task for this lineup.Cleveland Guardians right fielder Chase DeLauter (24) celebrates a one run home run against Detroit Tigers during the third inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesIn both the second and seventh innings, Cleveland had runners at first and second with no outs, but failed to advance either runner in either scenario.When all nine innings had been played, the Guardians left 11 men on base and were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. The Guardians even had the bases loaded with the go-ahead run at the plate in the ninth inning, but the only run they scored came on a sacrifice fly. Cleveland knows hitting with runners in scoring position is an issue, but fixing the problem is a work in progress”We’re doing a lot of things really well. It seems to be the runners in scoring position that continues to give us fits, and we’re working on it,” said manager Stephen Vogt after the game.”Like I’ve said, and I maintained, it’s gonna break here at some point. We just have to continue to get our focus in the middle of the field in those situations, and then take what the pitchers give us, and it’s easier said than done.”Individually, there were a couple of positives from this loss for the Guardians. Steven Kwan’s resurgence continues as he singled in his first at-bat in the top of the first inning, which extended his on-base streak to 25 games, which sets a new career-high for the 29-year-old.One of Cleveland’s runs came on a Jo Adell solo home run in the top of the seventh inning, his first one since joining the team. It was a well-earned homer, too, traveling over the center field fence at an estimated 428 feet.Unfortunately, these two accolades weren’t enough to help the Guardians get over the top.