Parker Messick turned in the kind of outing most teams would take every day - 12 strikeouts, six innings, three runs - and the Guardians still walked away with nothing to show for it. On Saturday, Cleveland was blanked 6-0 by the Detroit Tigers as Riley Greene took over the game with four hits, two homers and four RBIs.
The loss dropped Cleveland to 72-71. If the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Kansas City Royals on Saturday, they will tie the Guardians for the third and final Wild Card spot in the American League.
Messick was sharp from the jump, but Greene made sure the Tigers didn’t waste any opportunities. He opened the scoring in the first inning with a solo home run off the left-hander, then came back in the third with an RBI single that scored Gleyber Torres and pushed Detroit ahead 2-0.
For a while, that was all Messick allowed. The rookie kept Detroit quiet until the sixth, when Greene got him again, launching his second homer of the day and 17th of the season to make it 3-0.
Framber Valdez did the rest from the other side. The lefty shut down Cleveland over seven innings, allowing only three hits and a walk while striking out three. The Guardians never found a crack against him.
Detroit kept piling on after Messick exited. In the seventh, Greene added an RBI double off Matt Festa to bring in Torres. Dillon Dingler followed with a sacrifice fly that scored Hao-Yu Lee, and Ben Malgeri capped the burst with an RBI single that plated Greene for the sixth run.
There was one bright spot for Cleveland in relief. Austin Peterson made his MLB debut after Festa and handled two clean innings, giving up one hit, no runs, no walks and three strikeouts.
The Guardians will look to salvage the series on Sunday, with first pitch set for 1:40 pm ET. Gavin Williams is scheduled to face Jackson Jobe as Cleveland tries to get back on track.
In Other News...
Former Guardians First Base Flier Is A Fresh Reminder Of Cleveland's Problem
Deyvison De Los Santos was only a passing name in Guardians camp last spring, a Rule 5 flier who came in with intrigue and then went back to the Arizona Diamondbacks after a brief look. Now, after being called up by the Miami Marlins to replace infielder Leo Jimnez, he is back in the big-league conversation and in position to compete for an everyday roster spot. For Cleveland, it is another reminder of how often the organization has had to take chances on infield power and hope the bat can eventually sort itself out.
De Los Santos already made his MLB debut earlier in 2024, and the appeal is still obvious even with some Triple-A struggles mixed in. The Guardians never got to see that version of him for long, but his path since spring training has only sharpened the question of what might have been if the fit had been cleaner. For a Cleveland club that has spent a lot of time searching for impact bats, his latest opportunity is the kind of development that lingers in the background. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Suddenly Have Two Lineup Concerns In A Tight Wild Card Race
The Guardians are trying to keep their footing in a crowded American League wild card race while also keeping a close eye on the health of two important bats. Rookie outfielder Chase DeLauter is day-to-day after spraining his right wrist in a recent game, and veteran third baseman Jose Ramirez was held out for a planned day off as a precaution as he continues working back from hand surgery.
Neither situation sounds alarming on its own, but the timing matters with the regular season winding down and every lineup decision carrying a little more weight. Cleveland has leaned on depth all year, and now it may need that again if DeLauter needs more time or if Ramirez is managed more carefully than usual as the club tries to stay in position. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Future Still Feels Unsettled Despite Everything This Team Keeps Doing
The Guardians keep proving they can win while working with fewer resources than most of their rivals, and that success has only sharpened the conversation around who should be steering the franchise next. Bleacher Reports latest look at MLB ownership groups that might benefit from selling put the Dolan family at No. 3, a nod to both the teams consistent performance and the reality of operating as a small-market club with a limited payroll.
There is already a possible path to a different future, too, with private equity investor David Blitzer having bought a minority stake in 2022. Depending on how things unfold, he could become majority owner as early as 2027, but for now the situation remains unresolved. For a club that keeps hanging around the postseason race, the basketball-style question of ownership and investment still looms in the background. [Read more 🡒]