Will Detroit Tigers run away with AL Central?
The Days of Roar podcast breaks down the competition the Detroit Tigers face in the AL Central. Can the Tigers maintain first place in the division?
The Detroit Tigers lost to the Cleveland Guardians 7-0 in their first meeting since the 2024 ALDS.Tigers pitcher Jack Flaherty threw 108 pitches, giving up three runs in the loss.Tanner Bibee pitched seven scoreless innings for the Guardians, allowing only three hits.
Seven months ago, the Detroit Tigers were eliminated by the Cleveland Guardians in Game 5 of the ALDS. The first postseason appearance in a decade ended in a heartbreak, as Lane Thomas hit a series-defining grand slam off Tarik Skubal.
The Tigers and Guardians met 222 days later for the first time since that memorable ALDS showdown. This time, the Tigers were shut out 7-0 by the Guardians on May 22 in the opener of a four-game series at Comerica Park.
Right-hander Tanner Bibee shut them down.
“I think we can acknowledge it and then move on,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said before the first game of the series, when asked about the ALDS rematch. “This has not been circled on our calendar. Sorry to ruin the narrative.”
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The Tigers (33-18) recorded just three hits off Bibee: singles from Dillon Dingler and Javier Báez in the third inning and a single from Kerry Carpenter in the sixth. Spencer Torkelson also drew a walk in the fourth.
In the third, the singles from Dingler and Báez put runners on first and second base with one out, but Carpenter struck out swinging and Gleyber Torres lined out.
It was the Tigers’ best scoring opportunity until the late innings.
Bibee dominated in his 10th start of the season, lowering his ERA to 3.57. He delivered seven scoreless innings on three hits and one walk, throwing 96 pitches.
The Tigers struck out eight times against him, including two strikeouts from Carpenter in the leadoff spot. Carpenter is 2-for-14 with one home run, one walk and seven strikeouts in his past four games, spanning 15 plate appearances.
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Missed opportunity
Trailing 3-0, the Tigers loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the eighth, but Guardians reliever Cade Smith inherited the jam and struck out three batters in a row.
Smith stranded the runners.
The three strikeouts: Akil Baddoo (swinging, 97.7 mph fastball), Zach McKinstry (swinging, 87.3 mph splitter) and Riley Greene (swinging, 98.3 mph fastball).
In 2024, Smith finished fifth in American League Rookie of the Year voting and ninth in AL Cy Young voting, with a 1.91 ERA. He has picked up where he left off in 2025, posting a 2.82 ERA and 34 strikeouts across 22⅓ innings.
The Guardians tacked on four runs in the top of the ninth inning, taking a 7-0 advantage.
Jack Flaherty throws 108 pitches
Right-hander Jack Flaherty allowed three runs on three hits and three walks with eight strikeouts, throwing 108 pitches. The Tigers stretched him out to preserve the bullpen because their previous game featured six relievers.
It was the most pitches by a Tigers starter since Skubal tossed 108 pitches on June 28, 2022.
But Flaherty is no stranger to a heavy workload, considering he tossed 110 pitches on Aug. 9, 2024, in his second start with the Los Angeles Dodgers after the trade deadline.
The Guardians, though, scored three runs off Flaherty to take a 3-0 lead.
In the fourth, Carlos Santana followed a Kyle Manzardo walk by ripping Flaherty’s backdoor slider to the gap in right-center field for a two-run double. In the fifth, Angel Martínez tagged Flaherty’s up-and-in 90.4 mph fastball for a solo home run to right field
Flaherty recorded the 1,000th strikeout of his career in his 169th appearance over nine seasons to end the first inning, freezing José Ramírez with a 95.1 mph fastball.
He improved his ERA from 4.44 to 4.39 in his 10th start, but he has a 6.20 ERA through four starts in May. His fastball averaged just 91.9 mph against the Guardians, down 1 mph from his season average of 92.9 mph.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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