Tigers vs Guardians Recap: Outman, Torkelson HRs in Loss

The Detroit Tigers rolled into Cleveland's ballpark looking for payback. They came off a big win and had some serious pitching power sitting in the dugout. But the Guardians weren't interested in playing nice. Jack Flaherty took the mound for Detroit, and right away things got rough for the Tigers. In the second inning, Patrick Bailey stepped up and smacked a single to left field. That single scored Rhys Hoskins from third base. The ball barely got past the infielders, and the crowd roared. Then Brayan Rocchio did even better—he ripped a triple down the right field line that scored Bailey. Cleveland led 2-0 before Detroit even got a real chance to swing.

The Tigers weren't going down without a fight. In the third inning, James Outman smashed a fastball from Tanner Bibee deep into right-center field. The ball flew 418 feet and crashed over the wall for a solo home run. You could see the Tigers' bench jump to their feet. Then in the sixth inning, Cleveland's relief pitchers gave up a single to Steven Kwan that scored Angel Martinez, making it 1-3. The Tigers kept fighting and pushing. In the eighth inning, Spencer Torkelson stepped into the box against Bibee. He connected on a sinker and crushed it 416 feet to center field for a home run. Suddenly it was 2-3, and Detroit had momentum.

The Tigers had tied things up at 2-2 with their bats blazing. But Cleveland's pitching staff stayed strong when it mattered most. Tanner Bibee pitched seven innings and struck out eight Tigers hitters. He gave up just two runs on two hits and two walks. The Guardians brought in Hunter Gaddis and then closer Cade Smith to lock things down. Smith earned the save by pitching a clean inning in the ninth. The final score was Cleveland 3, Detroit 2. It was a tight game that came down to early scoring and solid pitching. The Guardians improved to 37-33 while the Tigers fell to 29-40. This loss stung, but Detroit's pitching prospects looked strong for coming games.