The Cleveland Guardians got exactly what they needed on Wednesday in Detroit: a win, a split, and a little breathing room in the AL Central race.
Cleveland beat the Tigers 6-4 at Comerica Park, bouncing back after dropping Tuesday’s opener and improving to 59-62. The result leaves the Guardians just half a game behind Detroit, with Thursday’s finale offering a chance to move ahead. The Chicago White Sox, meanwhile, still sit on top of the division.
Foster Griffin, the deadline pickup, gave Cleveland a steady enough start to make the rest of the night possible. The left-hander worked five innings and allowed three runs, though only one was earned after an error by Jose Ramirez turned two of those runs into unearned ones. Griffin gave up four hits and a walk while striking out three, lowering his ERA to 3.25 after a strong first four months with the Washington Nationals.
Cleveland wasted no time getting on the board. Steven Kwan opened the game with a walk, Chase DeLauter followed with a single, and Ramirez was hit by a pitch to load the bases with nobody out.
Jo Adell then grounded into a double play, but it still brought Kwan home for the first run. Angel Martinez added the next one with one of his two doubles on the night, scoring DeLauter to make it 2-0.
Detroit answered immediately in the bottom of the first. Spencer Torkelson lined a two-run double off Griffin to tie it, with both runs unearned because of Ramirez’s error.
The Tigers moved in front in the third when Gleyber Torres launched a solo homer to make it 3-2. For a stretch, it looked like Cleveland might be headed for another tough night.
Instead, Adell flipped the game in the fifth. After Ramirez reached, Adell crushed a two-run, go-ahead home run - his 18th of the season and second since joining the Guardians.
Cleveland kept pressing in the seventh. Angel Genao ripped a double that scored Martinez, stretching the lead to 5-3, and Austin Hedges followed with an RBI single to push it to three runs.
Detroit clawed one back in the eighth on a wild pitch by Cade Smith, which allowed Kevin McGonigle to score. Smith was back out for the ninth and ran into some trouble, letting two runners reach, but Stephen Vogt stuck with him and Cleveland escaped with help from a sharp play by Brayan Rocchio and Nathaniel Lowe.
The Guardians finished with 10 hits, including three from Martinez and two from DeLauter. They also drew seven walks and struck out only five times, a clean offensive night even with Ramirez’s error hanging over the box score.
After Griffin, Colin Holderman, Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis, and Smith combined for four mostly solid innings, giving up one run over that stretch.
The rubber match is set for Thursday at 1:10 pm ET, with Parker Messick scheduled to start for Cleveland against Keider Montero.
In Other News...
Guardians Bullpen Doubts Keep Growing As One Former Arm Thrives Elsewhere
The Guardians have spent much of the season trying to sort out the back end of the bullpen, and the comparison between Matt Festa and Justin Bruihl only adds to the uncertainty. Festa has been a steady enough presence in 51 appearances, but the numbers have not been strong enough to quiet questions about how much trust Cleveland can really place in that group as the year wears on.
Bruihls path makes the situation look even a little more frustrating from the Cleveland side. The left-hander was only briefly part of the roster before moving on to St. Louis, where he has settled in and found a clearer role in the Cardinals bullpen. In a similar job to Festas, he has simply gotten more out of his opportunities, and he is now being leaned on in more important moments. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Playoff Push Is Being Dragged Down By One Infield Problem
Brayan Rocchios recent slump has become part of the larger concern around Clevelands infield at the exact moment the Guardians needed stability most. Since late July, Rocchio has been in a deep offensive funk, and Jos Ramrez has not provided the usual lift either after coming back from injury, leaving the middle of the lineup short on production during a crucial stretch.
The timing has made the issue feel even bigger because Cleveland has slipped out of the postseason picture while those bats have cooled. The Guardians are still trying to keep their season alive, but the infield answer they were counting on has not arrived yet, and the lack of offense there has turned into one of the biggest reasons the push has lost momentum. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Offensive Skid Comes Down To One Frustrating Problem
The Guardians have spent enough time putting men on base to know the problem is not always about traffic, but what happens once that traffic reaches the key spots. In the biggest scoring chances, Cleveland has been stuck near the bottom of the league at turning runners on third with fewer than two outs and runners on second with no outs into runs, a frustrating drag on an offense that has often found baserunners but not the payoff.
Stephen Vogt and Chase DeLauter have both pointed to the mental side of those situations, which fits the way the numbers have looked. For a club trying to squeeze more out of a lineup that has already created chances, the next step is less about finding baserunners and more about sharpening the approach when the game is asking for one clean swing, one productive out or one simple run-scoring play. [Read more 🡒]