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    • Unable to eliminate the Guardians, the Tigers face their biggest test yet
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    Unable to eliminate the Guardians, the Tigers face their biggest test yet

    Eira Gwyneth Posted on

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    Detroit – They were ready to celebrate, the fans, the players, the city. The stadium was buzzing and the Tigers were getting closer and closer to another decisive moment. But the later a series gets and the games get closer, the thinner the tightrope becomes.

    The Tigers were knocked off balance in a potential decider in Game 4 on Thursday night, and they have a chance to bounce back. They had plenty of chances, but the Guardians made the most of them. With time running out, Cleveland’s stars emerged and defeated the Tigers 5-4, tying the ALDS series 2-2.

    On another loud, turbulent night at Comerica Park, the Tigers were right where they like to be, leading 3-2 heading into Game 7, the sweet spot for their famous bullpen. Instead, they went from the heat straight to the frying pan, setting up a winner-take-all Game 5 in Cleveland on Saturday. There will be no party afterward, but no panic either, as the Tigers will send star Tarik Skubal to the mound.

    Guardians All-Star David Fry, who had struggled in the series, came on in Game 7 against Tigers substitute Beau Brieske, who had been a stalwart. Fry hit a two-run home run to left field to put Cleveland on top, and that was the uh-oh moment for the Tigers. Just for good measure, it was Fry again who made a squeeze play in the ninth to give Brayan Rocchio a 5-3 lead.

    The Guardians’ bullpen is just as deep as the Tigers’ and even deadlier. In fact, elite closer Emmanuel Clase came into the game to get the final five outs, giving up one hit. Clase had given up the game-winning three-run home run to Kerry Carpenter in the ninth inning of Game 2, but just like the rest of the Guardians, he was ready to bounce back.

    The Tigers should be equally prepared now that Skubal, baseball’s dominant pitcher, starts Game 5. Skubal has thrown 13 scoreless innings in the postseason and will be fully rested, meaning the Tigers still have a good chance to win and advance to the ALCS, where they would face the Yankees starting Monday in New York. It won’t be easy, however, with uncertainty surrounding the status of Carpenter, who left the team after suffering a hamstring injury in the sixth inning on Thursday night.

    This has become a series of pinches and pinches, with each manager trying to stay one step ahead of the other. Maneuvering is fascinating and tiring. AJ Hinch’s pitching chaos paid off as the Tigers built a 2-1 series lead, and the Guardians’ Stephen Vogt countered with his clutch hitters in this game. Fry’s go-ahead home run was a close hit against Brieske, who had hit him in the previous game.

    “What an incredible game with lots of great performances from both sides,” said Hinch. “Expect nothing less from these two teams who are playing for the chance of promotion. They put up a really good fight, making some big swings and some big throws. We did the same thing and now it ends in Game 5.”

    Ready to celebrate

    As Game 4 began, there was a subtle change. The carefree Tigers, used to playing with nothing to lose, suddenly had everything they needed to win. It was no longer surprising, magical or miraculous. With a 2-1 lead in the series, they were now expected to advance to the ALCS.

    The Tigers also had a cushion in Skubal, but preferred not to use it and save him for the next round. And in this game the opponent was the desperate one. In the wild card series, all the pressure was on the favored Astros and they played the same way but were defeated by the Tigers.

    Since winning Game 1 7-0, the Guardians have gone scoreless for 20 straight innings. The Tigers had posted back-to-back 3-0 shutouts, and another huge crowd – a new Comerica Park postseason record of 44,923 spectators – filled the park and prepared to party.

    After the longest drought, sports in Detroit are actually getting back on track. The Lions sparked the game across the street at Ford Field last season, and the passion burns stronger than ever. The Lions are 3-1 heading to Dallas for a showdown with the Cowboys.

    On Woodward Avenue from Comerica Park, the Red Wings opened their season against the Penguins with legitimate aspirations of making the playoffs after an eight-year absence. Like good neighbors – especially if they rent from the same owner – the Wings postponed their opening game to 8 p.m. to accommodate the Tiger crowd. The Chevrolet Plaza in front of Little Caesars Arena has been mostly empty over the years, but on this night Tigers and Wings fans filled it to watch baseball on the giant screen.

    Baseball’s postseason is eerily similar to hockey’s, in case you forgot. The tension is high, and a game can be focused on a single shot or a single swing by any player at any time.

    Case in point: Zach McKinstry, a platoon player with a knack for big hits, hit a leadoff home run to tie the fifth, 2-2. That knocked out Cleveland ace Tanner Bibee and handed the game to two dominant bullpens.

    Big test in Game 5

    Anyone, any time, that’s the Tigers’ mantra, and it’s one of those mantras that’s actually true. This also applies to the Guardians, who have a star hitter in Jose Ramirez and a slew of pesky hitters. Ramirez gave Cleveland a 2-1 lead with a home run in the top of the fifth off reliever Tyler Holton just before Zach made it.

    It went back and forth, with both managers spinning around and both bullpens dealing out. The Guardians looked strong in the last two games despite going scoreless, and before this game they showed their inner tigers.

    “We are at our best when we have nothing to lose,” said Vogt. “For us it means: Go out, have fun, enjoy playoff baseball, play carefree, play loose, be yourself. That’s been the rhetoric all year, and it will continue to be the same tonight.”

    The Tigers’ pitching staff was in chaos, which of course meant another change was coming. Traditional starter Reese Olson opened Thursday night, was rattled early and then recovered. He made it through four innings and left with a 1-1 tie, and it was time for Hinch to open the trusty bullpen revolving door.

    Ramirez untied it, then McKinstry tied it back up. Wenceel Perez put the Tigers back on top, 3-2, with an RBI single in the sixth, a close call of course. In the next inning, Fry turned the score back to 4-3 with his home run.

    It continued into the cool night and the Tigers had plenty of chances. They loaded the bases with no one out in the second and settled for a run. They left the bases loaded in the sixth after Perez gave them the lead.

    It’s not over yet, not with Skubal next. Expect more shuffling and more sweating.

    “Oh, we’ll be ready,” Hinch said. “These playoffs are incredible. Everything we have been playing for will now be there on Saturday.”

    Is it reassuring to have Skubal on the mound?

    “It’s always reassuring to have Tarik Skubal on the mound,” Hinch said, the understatement of a crazy series.

    Nobody can feel comfortable playing these games for long. The Tigers have faltered and recovered several times before, but this will be their toughest test yet.

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    Eira Gwyneth
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