The Detroit Tigers drop the Cleveland Guardians to take a 2-1 lead in the ALDS

Detroit – The Detroit Tigers, who were given last rites in early August, are now one win away from playing for the American League championship.

Believe it.

In front of the largest postseason crowd ever at Comerica Park (44,885), the Tigers took control of this best-of-five American League Division Series series on Wednesday, defeating the Cleveland Guardians 3-0 in Game 3.

The Tigers, who haven't played a home playoff game since 2014 and haven't won a single one since 2013, can win the series here on Thursday.

BOX score: Tigers 3, Guardians 0

Manager AJ Hinch likes to call his pitching plans chaos. But on Wednesday it almost felt scripted. He weaved his way through the Guardians' lineup with six different pitchers, not only exploiting the left-right advantages brilliantly, but also showing hitters different pitching styles.

Rookie Keider Montero threw a clean six-pitch game in the first inning, but Hinch didn't deviate from the script. He went straight to left-hander Brant Hurter, against the initial batting order of eight left-handers.

Hurter went 3.1 innings and when right-hander Beau Brieske struck out six hitters in a row, striking out three of them, the Tigers had gone six innings with a three-run lead. And when Cleveland's best hitter, Jose Ramirez, came up to bat in the seventh and took the lead, he was facing his fourth different pitcher when the maneuvers occurred.

With two ons and two outs in the fifth inning, Brieske, switching at 89 mph, got Ramirez to fly out to center.

Ramirez faced off in the seventh inning when right-hander Will Vest possibly got the best of the game.

The Guardians had two runners with one out with a walk and a single against left-hander Sean Guenther. As David Fry struck with his right hand, Hinch summoned Vest.

The vest came out hot. He threw six fastballs in a row, all 97 and 98 mph, and with each one Fry got more and more on time. In the sixth, a two-seamer, he hit a 102-mph screamer right off the bat.

The crowd erupted as Vierling jumped and grabbed the line drive to end the inning. Vierling and Vest also erupted, both screaming and stomping triumphantly back to the dugout.

Vest threw a clean eighth that retired Ramirez and got the ball to left-hander Tyler Holton in the ninth.

Holton opened Game 1 and was batted in for four runs. His redemption was a clean, stress-free save in the ninth.

The Tigers' pitchers have now thrown 20 straight scoreless innings.

The Tigers scored single runs in the first, third and sixth innings.

Parker Meadows immediately brought the crowd to its feet, leading off the bottom of the first with a single off veteran starter Alex Cobb. He advanced to second with a ground out and scored on a two-out single by Riley Greene.

It was Greene's first RBI of the postseason.

Catcher Jake Rogers led off the third with a double to the left field corner and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Matt Vierling.

In the sixth game, two Tigers looking for their first playoff goals scored. Colt Keith got the better of substitute Eli Morgan in an 0-11 period and scored a brace from Spencer Torkelson. He went hitless in 14 at-bats and struck out in his first two at-bats on Wednesday.

What a chess game that was. Both managers were on the ball from the first inning.

It might have been tempting to stick with Montero, especially with Lane Thomas pitching as a right-handed hitter, but Hinch stuck to his original plan and went to Hurter to start the second inning.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt also pulled the strings early on. After Josh Naylor and Thomas singled to start the second inning, Jhonkensy Noel used a right-handed pinch-hit to lefty Will Brennan.

Hurter responded by getting three straight outs, including Noel with a fly out.

Vogt was on the bench again in the third inning. With one out, leadoff hitter Steven Kwan grounded out to second base (infield single and throwing error by shortstop Trey Sweeney). He sent right-hander Fry for left-hander Kyle Manzardo.

Hurter looked at him.

With first base open and two outs, Hinch waved with four fingers, giving Ramirez his second intentional walk of the series.

The strategy paid off for Hurter as he forced left winger Josh Naylor out.

All these maneuvers in two and a half innings. Playoff baseball.

However, Vogt has most likely designed his starting lineup to handle those early pinch hits. Brennan and Manzardo were mostly used off the bench for the Guardians. He put them in the lineup hoping they would get a few hits against Righty Montero.

When that didn't happen, it was an easy adjustment to use his regular right-handers.

There was more matchup shenanigans halfway through the Tigers' fifth quarter.

Rogers, who doubled in the third inning, led off the fifth inning with a walk against rookie lefty Erik Sabrowski. With one out, Hinch sent the right-hander up and hit Justyn-Henry Malloy to bat for left-hander Kerry Carpenter.

Vogt countered with another, more experienced left-hander, Tim Herrin.

Herrin walked Malloy but got out of the inning unscathed, retiring Matt Vierling and Riley Greene on fly balls.

Those plays left the Tigers without a Carpenter hitter against Cleveland's three right-handed leverage relievers – Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis and Emmanuel Clase. The Tigers pitchers made that a moot point.

Just one more win from progressing.

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@cmccosky