Tigers penetrate standout Guardians' bullpen to tie ALDS: Takeaways

CLEVELAND – Kerry Carpenter's three-run blast with two outs and two strikes in the top of the ninth inning gave the Detroit Tigers a 3-0 win in Game 2 of the ALDS over the Cleveland Guardians.

Carpenter's home run – the first three-run homer Clase ever allowed as a major leaguer – broke a scoreless tie and silenced a raucous, sellout crowd at Progressive Field as the Tigers tied the series at one game apiece.

The wild fate that brought teachers and students to the same mound one October afternoon ended in a classic playoff pitchers' duel. Matthew Boyd recorded 4 2/3 scoreless innings for the Guardians. Tarik Skubal, the projected AL Cy Young Award winner, held Cleveland at bay for seven frames.

Skubal retired the first 13 batters he faced before Josh Naylor blasted a double into the gap in right-center in the fifth. Skubal then hit Jhonkensy Noel with a pitch, but Andrés Giménez grounded out a double play to end the threat. A double play by David Fry ended another Cleveland scoring chance in the sixth.

Skubal struck out eight hits, didn't walk a batter and even made José Ramírez look overwhelmed at times.

But the Tigers couldn't answer — until Clase, himself a Cy Young Award finalist candidate, left a 94-mph slider over the middle of the plate in the ninth. As the baseball disappeared into the right field seats, Carpenter circled first base, screaming and raising his arms in celebration, causing his helmet to fall into the dirt.

The series moves to Comerica Park for Game 3 on Wednesday.

Kerry Carpenter's blast will go down in Tigers history

The Tigers have had so many unlikely heroes over the last seven weeks. The story was no different on Monday, as a 19th-round pick working at Dick's Sporting Goods during the COVID-19 pandemic launched one of the biggest home runs in the recent history of a storied franchise. Kerry Carpenter's 2-2 shot against elite closer Emmanuel Clase gave the Tigers the breakthrough they had been looking for through the first 17 innings of this series. Before Carpenter's three-run home run – which would not have been possible without two-out singles from Jake Rogers and Trey Sweeney – the Tigers were 0-12 in the series with runners in scoring position. During the regular season, 144 batters had a two-strike count against Clase. Only 14 of them had registered hits. Only one had hit a home run. Carpenter joined the shortlist of hitters who had a two-hit finish against Clase, and in the process gave the Tigers new life in the ALDS, their latest dose of magic.

ABSOLUTE CINEMA. THE @TIGERS Even the series. #ALDS pic.twitter.com/PsRzm5sWPY

– MLB (@MLB) October 7, 2024

Tarik Skubal drives the Tigers again

The Tigers were 22-10 in games. Tarik Skubal started Game 2. He is their ace, their only rotational force, the horse that got them here. So of course the Tigers rode Skubal as long as they could. He was masterful in the first four innings. He initiated an important 4-6-3 double play to end the fifth period and a 6-4-3 double play to end the sixth period. As he left the field, he waved his finger at the Cleveland crowd, welcoming their reaction. AJ Hinch retired Skubal after 92 pitches and seven innings, another masterful performance in an outstanding season full of them. Skubal's move was once again his calling card. The Guardians' batters failed on seven of their 12 hits against the changeup, and Skubal finished the game with eight strikeouts.

So make it 23-10. And when this series reaches Game 5, expect Skubal to be on the rise again

Matthew Boyd delivered against his old team

In late June, Boyd, who had completed his recovery from Tommy John surgery, tuned in to a Guardians-Orioles game. He watched the Guardians score a wild 10-8 win, and he marveled at the energy and camaraderie that erupted every time the camera panned to Cleveland's dugout. He wanted to be a part of it. The Guardians had expressed interest. They attended his presentation in California earlier this month. And after discussions with Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt and coaches Craig Albernaz and Kai Correa – and after watching the close-knit team reach its season high that night in Baltimore – he signed with the club. No one would have predicted that he would eventually be the team's choice to start Game 2 of the ALDS. But the Guardians struggled with rotation leaks all summer, and when Boyd returned to the mound in mid-August, he never resembled a man who had spent 14 months on the shelf. He looked like that again on Monday, holding Detroit scoreless for 4 2/3 innings before handing the ball to the league's best bullpen, the same scenario that gave the Guardians the Game 1 victory. Boyd worked around a single and a walk in the third and shook off a leadoff double in the fourth, getting two strikeouts to end the inning.

This time, however, the Tigers only made it to the penalty at the end. Clase, who allowed five earned runs in the regular season, gave up three in one hit, changing the momentum.

(Top photo of Carpenter after his home run: Jason Miller / Getty Images)