CLEVELAND – It was finally going to happen and when that happened, it happened dramatically, with little pity, like strait Tigers have gone from the highest point of their season to the lowest point of the week.

They arrived in Ohio Sunday night on a run of five consecutive victories, a hot air balloon and disjointed that, one way or another, nearly three months later. the end of the season, was still floating near the .500 mark. But by the time they left Progressive Field Sunday afternoon, once again Cleveland Indians in their house of horrors, this balloon had whistled back to the ground.

Sitting by his solitary on a couch inside the visitors club after a loss of 12-2, the "goose rally", perhaps for the first time questioning his ability, is not the only way to go. had no answers. The Tigers, most of whom have not been long enough to summarize the situation as accurately as the right fielder Nicholas Castellanos, have not done the same.

"It's just growth," he said. "You're in for the long run or you're not in. Getting your ass kicked is part of learning how to become a good team."

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What started in Cincinnati with two defeats against the worst National League team ended with a sweep in Cleveland against the leader of AL Central, a three-game match where the Tigers were dominated 26-3.

They did not hit well. They are not doing well. They did not play the defense well. This was the junior university training against the university group, the scenario shifted from 2011 to 2014, when the Tigers regularly beat the Indians.

Castellanos was there for the end of this race. And during the long sleeves in the right field over the weekend, thought came to him in the mind, a thought that illustrates exactly what exactly is the goal and where they still need to go.

"It's no secret that if we want to go to the World Series, we have to go through Cleveland," he said. "And we need to find out how to collect our stuff, especially here in Cleveland, I do not remember the last time we won a game here."

The answer is July 9, 2017, the last game before the break of the All Star game. At that time, the Tigers, veterans and veterans, saw the writing on the wall. Two days earlier, they lost 11-0. A week later, J.D. Martinez was traded to the Diamondbacks of Arizona.

No loss last season was more indicative of the mental strength of this squad than this: During the match, two scouts expressed the opinion that the team had resigned.

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A year later, a new challenge has emerged, one that does not have much to do with the expectations or the ranking or the deadline of future transactions. Throughout the first half of the season, the Tigers proved to be a resilient group. They have already experienced five losing streaks twice this season, but none of them was as embarrassing as this one.

"You look at the losses early in the year, we were right in those games," said McCann. "It's the moment when the real character of the team will come out." These are the moments that are a real test of character for what kind of team we are. Will we be able to bounce back and forth? put that in the rearview mirror or will it have a snowball effect?

For as many battles as the Tigers have shown, for as many injuries as they have suffered and so much progress that has been made in the basics, chemistry and leadership, another test awaits them Monday afternoon at Comerica Park.

"This weekend, they took it and we did not answer," said McCann.

The answer will not be measured in wins and losses – this group will accumulate a lot of these this year. the Oakland The athletes, who come to town for four games, are not pushed. the The loss of Miguel Cabrera took his toll on the Tigers. Personnel problems remain and will only be highlighted during the summer.

But the most important aspect of this team – the aggressive mindset that manager Ron Gardenhire has preached since the spring training – is about to be challenged as he did not never been before

"We will turn the page," said Castellanos. "Forget it, wash it in the shower and take it out tomorrow. But dude, we have to go home. "

When they do, there will be a brand new ping-pong table waiting for them in the clubhouse. The goose, packed in a laundry bag by a Progressive Fieldman at Field, will take his usual position in the Tigers canoe.

And we will soon see how difficult this team of Tigers is.

Contact Anthony Fenech: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @anthonyfenech.

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