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, 3-1, on Friday, May 23, in Detroit.The loss was the second straight for the Tigers in a rematch of the 2024 ALDS.Spencer Torkelson drove in the lone run for the Tigers on a solo homer.
Manager A.J. Hinch always says the Detroit Tigers play their 27 outs.
It means they never give up.
The Tigers appeared to be on the verge of a comeback victory against the Cleveland Guardians on Friday, May 23, at Comerica Park — especially after Spencer Torkelson cut the deficit to one run with a solo home run — but they failed to complete the rally, losing 3-1.
The offense was shut out in the final three innings.
With the loss, the Tigers (33-19) have dropped back-to-back games to their American League Central rivals in the first rematch of the 2024 ALDS.
There was a glimmer of hope in the bottom of the sixth inning, when Torkelson destroyed a hanging slider — located middle-middle in the strike zone — from right-hander Slade Cecconi.
It was his 13th homer in 51 games this season.
He remains on pace for 40 home runs, as he cut the Tigers’ deficit to 2-1.
But the Guardians answered in the ninth, as Bo Naylor ripped a leadoff triple against right-handed reliever Chase Lee and scored for a 3-1 advantage on Steven Kwan’s single.
The Tigers had one baserunner in the final three innings, thanks to Javier Báez’s one-out double in the seventh inning. The next two batters — Kerry Carpenter flew out and Gleyber Torres grounded out — failed to drive him in.
Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase sent down all three batters in the bottom of the ninth inning: Trey Sweeney (strikeout), pinch-hitter Justyn-Henry Malloy (popout) and pinch-hitter Matt Vierling (flyout).
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Jackson Jobe starts
Right-hander Jackson Jobe allowed two runs on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts across five innings, throwing 89 pitches. The Tigers had won each of his first eight starts — until Friday’s loss.
The 22-year-old surrendered two runs in the first inning.
It was the only damage against him.
The Guardians struck for a 2-0 lead on José Ramírez’s triple and Carlos Santana’s broken-bat infield single, with both hits driving in runs. Kwan sparked the two-run inning for the Guardians when he delivered a leadoff double off Jobe’s middle-middle fastball.
From there, Jobe didn’t allow another run.
The rookie worked around a single in the second inning, two walks in the third and a hit by pitch in the fourth before completing a perfect fifth inning, concluding his outing by retiring the final three batters in a row.
Jobe has a 4.06 ERA in nine starts.
Where is Riley Greene?
The Tigers had one notable name missing from Friday’s starting lineup.
It was Riley Greene.
“Physically, we’re not in a great place — just being candid,” Hinch said before the game, in which Akil Baddoo started in left field instead of Greene. “Riley always feels like he’s right on that edge of dealing with something. We’re trying to be smart with what we’re doing.”
Greene has suffered lower-body injuries throughout his four-year MLB career, with leg issues sending him to the injured list in the past two seasons. The 24-year-old had a left fibula stress reaction in 2023 and a right hamstring strain in 2024.
The Tigers need to keep Greene healthy in 2025.
In Friday’s game, Greene entered as a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the eighth. He struck out swinging on a down-and-in slider from right-handed reliever Hunter Gaddis for the second out in the inning.
Greene is hitting .280 with 12 home runs and an .853 OPS in 50 games.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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