Tigers strike out 17 times, fall to Guardians 3-2 in 10 innings

Riley Greene gave the Tigers an early lead Sunday afternoon, but Detroit could not add to it over the next nine innings. The Tigers finished with four hits and struck out 17 times in a 3-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field, with Daniel Schneemann delivering the winning single against Kyle Finnegan in the 10th.

Detroit fell to 65-78 despite getting five competitive innings from Jackson Jobe and four scoreless innings from its bullpen before the game reached extras. Greene collected two doubles and drove in both Tigers runs, but his third-inning double was Detroit’s final hit of the afternoon.

The Tigers put together their most productive stretch against Gavin Williams in the first inning. Hao-Yu Lee drew a one-out walk, Colt Keith followed with a single, and Greene doubled to right to score both runners. Dillon Dingler then singled to put runners at the corners, giving Detroit an opportunity to build on its 2-0 lead with one out. Williams limited the damage by striking out Brett Callahan and getting Ben Malgeri to ground out, leaving Greene at third.

Cleveland answered immediately against Jobe, with Steven Kwan and Travis Bazzana opening the bottom of the first with consecutive doubles to cut the lead to 2-1. Jobe later walked Nathaniel Lowe and Angel Martínez to load the bases, but he struck out Angel Genao and retired Patrick Bailey on a grounder to keep Detroit ahead. Considering how the inning started, getting through it with one run allowed was a useful recovery.

Jobe settled in from there, striking out the side in the second and retiring Cleveland in order in both the third and fourth. He retired 12 consecutive hitters between Martínez’s first-inning walk and Brayan Rocchio’s solo home run with one out in the fifth. Rocchio’s 13th homer tied the game, and Kwan followed with another double, but Jobe stranded him by retiring Bazzana and striking out Jo Adell. Jobe finished with two runs allowed on four hits, two walks and seven strikeouts over five innings.

Williams also recovered from his first inning, allowing only Greene’s second double over his remaining five frames. He finished with 11 strikeouts and three walks in six innings, repeatedly keeping Detroit from turning its baserunners into sustained pressure. Malgeri walked and stole second in the fourth, but Max Clark and John Peck struck out around the steal. In the fifth, Kevin McGonigle’s leadoff walk was followed by a strikeout of Lee and McGonigle getting caught stealing, clearing the bases before Keith struck out.

Detroit’s relievers kept the game tied through the ninth. Tyler Holton worked around hitting Lowe to begin the sixth, getting an inning-ending double play from Genao. Drew Sommers struck out two in a clean seventh and recorded another out in the eighth before giving way to Tyler Kinley after a Bazzana single. Dingler threw out Bazzana attempting to steal, and Kinley retired Adell to complete another scoreless inning. Kenley Jansen then handled the ninth in order.

The Tigers had another opening in the eighth when McGonigle drew a leadoff walk against Hunter Gaddis. Lee popped out before Keith lined into a double play, with Bazzana catching the ball and doubling McGonigle off first. Detroit made contact in that opportunity, but the result left Greene leading off the ninth with the bases empty.

Cade Smith took over from there, striking out Greene and Callahan around a Dingler flyout in the ninth. With Callahan placed at second to begin the 10th, Smith struck out Malgeri, Clark and Peck in order. Smith finished with five strikeouts over two hitless innings, and Detroit never advanced its automatic runner.

Cleveland needed only two batters to score in the bottom half. Bailey singled against Finnegan to move automatic runner Genao to third, and Schneemann followed with a single to right to end the game. Finnegan took the loss, while Smith earned the victory.

The Tigers received enough pitching to stay competitive throughout the afternoon, particularly after Jobe worked through his difficult first inning. The offensive production was concentrated almost entirely in that opening frame, however, and Cleveland’s pitchers allowed few opportunities afterward. Greene accounted for half of Detroit’s hits and all of its RBIs, while the bottom four spots in the lineup combined to go 0-for-15 with 11 strikeouts. That lack of production left Detroit unable to turn a solid pitching effort into a win.