Takeaways from Tigers-Guardians Game 3: Pitching chaos has Detroit on cusp of ALCS

The Detroit Tigers were five games under .500 entering August. Now, they’re one win away from punching their ticket to the American League Championship Series. 

On Wednesday, Detroit won its first playoff game at Comerica Park since 2013, defeating the Cleveland Guardians, 3-0, to take a 2-1 lead in the American League Division Series. The Tigers can reach the ALCS for the first time since 2013 and set up a date with either another division rival in the Kansas City Royals, or the New York Yankees with a win on Thursday. 

Here are three takeaways from Detroit’s win: 

Guardians bats are silenced again

It appears Cleveland’s five-run first-inning scoring outburst in Game 1 of the ALDS was an outlier. Over their last 26 innings, the Guardians haven’t been able to handle Detroit’s pitching chaos, scoring just two runs and none across their last 20 innings, the longest stretch in postseason history for the franchise.

The Tigers bullpen handled business for a second straight game but gave the Guardians several opportunities to regain momentum. Situational hitting has been an issue for Cleveland, which went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position on Wednesday, leaving eight men on base.

While it’s surprising the Guardians have struggled to this extent, it’s not all that surprising that their lineup has had trouble producing against Detroit, which posted the fourth-best team ERA in the majors (3.61). From the All-Star break to the end of the regular season, Cleveland ranked 26th in hits (498), runs (254) and walks (179), the worst mark in each category among the remaining postseason participants.

There’s no easy answer for fixing the Guardians’ offensive woes, but a good way to start would be to work Tigers pitchers’ counts. After all, Cleveland has two walks since walking five times in Game 1, one of which was a free pass to All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez. 

Tigers outfielder Parker Meadows keeps on raking

Meadows went just 1-for-4 at the plate on Wednesday, though his lone hit was significant. Not only did the 24-year-old come around to score the first run of the game after hitting his leadoff single in the first inning, but it was also a historic hit for Meadows.

According to the team’s Communications Department, Meadows is the first Tiger to record a hit in each of his first five career postseason games since Hall of Famer Al Kaline in 1968. Additionally, Meadows now holds the third-longest hitting streak to begin a postseason career in Tigers history, per Sarah Langs of MLB.com. 

Meadows’ emergence has been yet another remarkable storyline in a season to remember for the Tigers. After making the Opening Day roster, Meadows posted a dismal .096 batting average with seven hits, two home runs, three RBI and 32 strikeouts across his first 32 games. As a result, Detroit optioned him to Triple-A Toledo on May 7 and didn’t call him back up to the majors until July 5.

Since being recalled, Meadows has hit an impressive .292 with seven homers, 25 RBI and 31 runs scored in 53 games, including the playoffs. If Detroit’s magical run continues, expect Meadows to remain a catalyst for the team’s success.

Lackluster trade deadline partly to blame for Guardians’ struggles 

Despite being tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for the best record in baseball on July 30 (65-42), the Guardians didn’t make a splash at the trade deadline and are now feeling the consequences of that decision.

Cleveland made just two moves, filling some of its holes with budget options, acquiring former Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas and right-hander Alex Cobb in a separate deal with the Giants. Neither made much of an impact during the regular season, as Thomas slashed .209/.267/.390 with seven homers and 23 RBI, while Cobb started just three games due to injuries.

While Thomas notably hit a three-run homer in Game 1 against Detroit, he hasn’t contributed much in the ALDS since, going 1-for-10 at the plate with three strikeouts.

Cobb, who started on the mound for Cleveland Wednesday, didn’t pitch terribly in his first postseason outing since 2013, allowing two runs in three innings while racking up a pair of strikeouts. Even so, his inability to provide his team with much-needed length could prove to be problematic in Thursday’s Game 4.

Nonetheless, even though the two deadline acquisitions haven’t panned out, Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti should’ve aimed higher at the deadline and been more aggressive in acquiring better talent. 

Now, one of the better seasons in franchise history is on the verge of going to waste.