Tigers Rally Late to Even ALDS against Guardians

Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images

October 7, 2024

Tigers 3, Guardians 0

Late-inning heroics led to a 3–0 victory for the Detroit Tigers over the Cleveland Guardians in Game Two of the ALDS. The Tigers used a ninth-inning three-run homer by Kerry Carpenter to seal the deal at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Monday afternoon. With this win, they have knotted the American League Division Series at one game apiece. The Tigers will look to gain the upper hand in this best-of-five set on Wednesday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 3:08 pm Eastern at Comerica Park in Detroit. The Guardians will send right-hander Alex Cobb (1–0, 1.54 ERA) to the hill, while the Tigers have yet to announce their starting pitcher for the tie-breaker.

We’ve Only Just Begun

Both teams traded zeroes for the first eight innings of Monday’s contest. With Guardians reliever Emmanuel Clase on the mound in the top of the ninth, Spencer Torkelson struck out swinging and Parker Meadows popped to Josh Naylor at first to open the frame. On deck was Jake Rogers, who singled to left, and Trey Sweeney followed with a single lined to center.

The above subheading seemed to fit as Carpenter stepped to the plate next. On an 0–1 slider from Clase, Carpenter connected and sent a three-run bomb 12 rows into the seats in right. The Tigers’ dugout exploded onto the field to greet him as he crossed the plate.

What Went Right for the Tigers

On a very nice fall afternoon in Cleveland, the Tigers stumbled upon some thunder at the right time. The base hits by Rogers and Sweeney set the table perfectly for Carpenter’s homer. This was the first hit of the game for Carpenter, and he made it count as he also notched three RBI with his round-tripper to right.

What Went Wrong for the Tigers

As a team, the Tigers went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position, leaving nine men on base on Monday. They had plenty of chances to score, but they couldn’t take advantage of their opportunities. The Tigers had the same issue in Game One of this series, when they went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position in the 7–0 loss to the Guardians.

Skubal Fires Seven Scoreless

Tigers starter Tarik Skubal pitched seven impressive innings on Monday. He held the Guardians scoreless during that entire stretch, giving up three hits, striking out eight, and allowing no walks.

Will Vest came on in relief of Skubal in the eighth, also turning in a scoreless outing with one strikeout. As the pitcher of record when Carpenter went yard, Vest earned his first win of the postseason. His record now sits at 1–0 with an ERA of zero in October.

Beau Brieske notched his second save of the playoffs after tossing a spotless ninth inning with two strikeouts.

Tough Luck for Boyd

Guardians lefty and former Tiger Matthew Boyd didn’t factor into the decision on Monday. He tossed 4 2/3 frames, surrendering four hits and two walks while striking out five.

After giving up Carpenter’s home run in the ninth, Clase was saddled with his first loss of the playoffs. He is now 0–1 with an inflated ERA of 13.50 in October.

Hinch’s Postgame Comments

After the game, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch reflected on Carpenter’s homer. “I mean, what a game, it’s an understatement.”. he said. “How about the three two-out hits. It doesn’t — obviously Kerry, we want him up to bat as often as we can in those moments. Kerry can change the scoreboard. He can change the game. He can — he does it time after time. But you gotta have guys do something in front of him in order to give him that opportunity, and we had three two-out hits against the best closer in baseball. So really happy with how we finally found a way to scratch some across with some big hits.”

Carpenter’s Postgame Comments

Carpenter also elaborated on his dramatic at-bat after the game. “Yeah. I wasn’t sitting on the slider.”, he said. “I was just on time for his hardest pitch and that cutter, and I was like zoning in for it to start in a certain zone, and my instincts took over and he missed a spot, so I took advantage of it.”