Cleveland Indians vs. Detroit Tigers Pick & Prediction OCTOBER 9th 2024
Preview and Prediction
The vast outfield of Comerica Park was the main topic of conversation on Tuesday, a day before the Cleveland Guardians and the Detroit Tigers play Game 3 of their American League Division Series.
The two teams from the AL Central split the first two games of the best-of-five series. The Guardians easily won the first game with a score of 7-0 on Saturday, while the Tigers responded with a 3-0 victory on Monday thanks to Kerry Carpenter's three-run homer in the ninth inning.
Before Carpenter's impressive 423-foot blast off All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland's right fielder Jhonkensy Noel prevented fellow rookie Justyn-Henry Malloy from turning a single into a double in the fifth inning.
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"Defense is also crucial in winning games," Noel stated through an interpreter, according to Cleveland.com. "On the other hand, one mistake on defense can cost you the game."
Perhaps that is why the Guardians spent a significant amount of time during their workout on Tuesday focusing on their performance in the outfield.
"We are making sure to cut down on angles while also not being too aggressive and letting the ball get past us," two-time Gold Glove winner Steven Kwan explained.
On Wednesday, Guardians right-hander Alex Cobb (2-1, 2.76 ERA) will take the mound and try to keep the Tigers at bay. This will be his first start since September 1st, as he has been dealing with a blister on his middle finger.
At 37 years old, Cobb has a record of 3-2 with a 2.91 ERA in eight career appearances (all starts) against the Tigers.
The Tigers have not yet announced their starting pitcher for Game 3.
"We have a lot of options," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. "Ten out of the 12 pitchers on our roster will be available and we will use them."
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Hinch stated that the team will make a decision later on Tuesday and inform Guardians manager Stephen Vogt in the evening.
"We will come up with a plan on how we will use our pitchers at the beginning of the game," Hinch said. "We will make sure to inform Cleveland tonight so they can plan their lineup and strategy accordingly. We just haven't made a final decision yet."
Given Cleveland's lineup that is dominated by left-handed hitters, the Tigers could potentially turn to left-handers Tyler Holton (7-2, 2.19), Sean Guenther (3-0, 0.86), or Brant Hurter (6-1, 2.58).
Holton had a rough start in the series opener, giving up four runs on three hits without recording an out. Guenther only faced one batter on Saturday, while Hurter has not played since last Wednesday.
Regardless of who takes the mound for the Tigers in Game 3, the Guardians will be looking for more offensive power after only managing three hits in Game 2.
Brayan Rocchio became the first rookie in Cleveland history to hit a double in his first two postseason games after his performance on Monday.
As for the Tigers, Malloy had two hits in Game 2 and has a total of four hits in the postseason. Parker Meadows has hit safely in all four of Detroit's postseason games, while Matt Vierling reached base four times in Game 2.
Cleveland Indians vs. Detroit Tigers Recap OCT 9TH 2024
DETROIT -- Riley Greene, Matt Vierling and Spencer Torkelson each drove in a run and six pitchers combined on a second straight shutout Wednesday to give the Detroit Tigers a 3-0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 3 of the American League Division Series.
Starter Keider Montero and relievers Brant Hurter (1-0), Beau Brieske, Sean Guenther, Will Vest and Tyler Holton limited the Guardians to six hits and two walks as the Tigers took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.
Detroit -- which has not allowed a run over the last 20 innings -- moved one victory away from its first visit to the AL Championship Series since 2013. Game 4 is set for Thursday at Detroit.
Greene gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the first inning with his two-out single up the middle that scored Parker Meadows from second base. Meadows, who opened the inning with a single to center, has hit safely in all five postseason games this year. He's the first Tiger to record a hit in each of his first five career playoff games since Al Kaline in 1968.
Jake Rogers helped put Detroit ahead 2-0 in the third when he led off with a double down the left field line, moved to third on a groundout and scored on Vierling's sacrifice fly to center.
Hurter, who came on in the second to replace Montero, gave up five hits in 3 1 1/3 innings, including back-to-back singles to Brayan Rocchio and Steve Kwan with one out in the fifth. He was replaced by Brieske, who closed out the inning with a strikeout of David Fry and a flyout by Jose Ramirez.
Torkelson snapped an 0-for-14 postseason slump by blasting a double to the left field corner in the bottom of sixth off Tim Herrin, scoring Colt Keith from second and giving the Tigers a 3-0 lead.
The Guardians used seven pitchers who allowed five hits. Alex Cobb (0-1), making his first start since Sept. 1, gave up three hits and two runs over three innings. He had been on the injured list with a blister on his right middle finger that ended his regular season. He was followed by Erik Sabrowski, Tim Herrin, Eli Morgan, Cade Smith, Andrew Walters and Joey Cantillo, who combined to allow one run on two hits.
The game drew 44,885 fans, setting a Comerica Park postseason attendance record.
--Bob Tripi,