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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/3-tigers-most-blame-alds-loss-guardians');   ga('set', 'title', '3 Tigers most to blame for ALDS loss vs. Guardians');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/X-Tigers-most-to-blame-for-ALDS-loss-vs.jpg"></figure><h1>3 Tigers most to blame for ALDS loss vs. Guardians</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-13T18:37:49-07:00">October 13th, 6:37pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-13T18:37:49-07:00">October 13th, 6:37pm</time><address><a>Christopher Hennessy</a>Christopher Hennessy graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022. He has also worked at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders writer. Chris is originally from Connecticut and is a lifelong New York Yankees, Islanders, and Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Detroit Tigers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/guardians-news-guardians-acknowledge-tigers-season-6-word-message">lost Game 5 of the ALDS</a> to the Cleveland Guardians, ending their magical season. While this was an unexpected run into the playoffs, it was still a disappointing ending for Detroit. The players who are most to blame were all great regular-season players who did not rise to the postseason occasion. Why are Tarik Skubal, Matt Vierling, and Trey Sweeney on that list?</p><p>The Tigers certainly seemed like a team of destiny, similar to the 2023 Arizona Diamondbacks. They were ten games behind the Minnesota Twins at 56-63 entering August 11’s action. They went 30-13 to close out the regular season, caught the Twins, and earned a playoff berth. Then, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tigers-news-aj-hinch-perfect-response-beating-astros-playoffs">they went to Houston and beat the Astros</a> to end their consecutive ALCS appearance streak at seven. Their ALDS matchup with the Guardians got off to a great start.</p><p>While the Guardians won Game 1, the Tigers struck back in a big way.<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/guardians-news-emmanuel-clase-sounds-off-on-what-went-wrong-vs-kerry-carpenter"> Kerry Carpenter hit a three-run homer off Emmanuel Clase</a> to even the series at one and bring it back to Detroit. The teams split the games in Michigan, which caused a winner-take-all Game 5 in Cleveland. That’s where our first player to blame comes in.</p><h2><b>Tarik Skubal could not keep the magic going</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Tarik-Skubal-with-Detroit-Tigers-1.jpg"><figcaption>Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Tigers only made it to Game 5 of the ALDS because of Tarik Skubal. The<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tigers-news-tarik-skubal-honest-upcoming-playoff-debut-stellar-season"> presumptive Cy Young winner</a> started 31 games and posted a 2.39 ERA during the season. His ERA+ was a ridiculous 171, he cruised past 200 strikeouts and led the team with 191 innings. His greatness continued in the postseason, beginning in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series. He shut down the Astros, with six shutout innings, and the Guardians, with seven shutout frames, to set up Game 5.</p><p>There was no doubt who had the pitching advantage heading into Game 5. Even though Matthew Boyd is a solid starter and had a great outing, Skubal was the marquee name. It started as advertised, with Skubal throwing four shutout innings the open the game. At this point, the lefty has thrown 17 career postseason innings and not allowed a run. Lane Thomas changed that.</p><p>The trade deadline acquisition hit a grand slam that gave the Guardians a 5-1 lead. Skubal hit Jose Ramirez with a pitch to tie the game earlier in the inning. The homer sent Progressive Field into a frenzy and flipped the odds in Cleveland’s favor. Although Skubal was tremendous all season, he gets some blame for not closing out Game 5.</p><h2><b>Matt Vierling struggled as the only veteran option</b></h2><p>The Tigers had just one hitter on the postseason roster with playoff experience, 28-year-old Matt Vierling. The former Phillies utility man <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/v/vierlma01.shtml" rel="noopener">played at</a> third base, first base, center, and right field in this series but did not hit. He went 2-20 with one RBI and ten strikeouts in the five games. While others did not perform well either, the blame falls on Vierling as the veteran.</p><p>The Tigers spent a lot of money on Javier Baez, who was injured for most of the hot stretch and the entire playoffs. He was brought in to be the veteran leader and was unable to do that. Vierling was thrust into that role, which is not his fault, but it did bite the Cats in the postseason.</p><p>When next season rolls around, the Tigers should have better veteran options on their roster than just Vierling. He is a solid option at third base and in the outfield, but not as the leader of the team. Now, everyone on their roster has postseason experience so maybe it won’t be as important. That includes 24-year-old Riley Greene, who is on pace to become a star.</p><h2><b>Trey Sweeney faltered in the biggest at-bats for the Tigers</b></h2><p>Clutch hitting is a phrase that always gets thrown around this time of year. While it is difficult to quantify, hitting with runners in scoring position in the postseason is the most important thing a baseball player can do. Trey Sweeney had a massive opportunity to do that in Game 4 and could not come through. While it is hard to pin the series on one at-bat, it can be done in a low-scoring set.</p><p>Emmanuel Clase came out of the bullpen in the eighth inning and put some runners on. After Carpenter’s big home run, Clase felt beatable for the first time all season. Sweeney came up with two out and runners on second and third. The Tigers were down 4-3 and a single would have flipped the game on its head. Instead, Sweeney struck out and the Guardians went on to win.</p><p>Sweeney’s final line for the ALDS was 2-15 with two walks and nine strikeouts, including the one in Game 4. While this was his first postseason experience, the Tigers needed more from their shortstop. He will enter next season with a lot to prove after a poor postseason performance.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 Tigers most to blame for ALDS loss vs. Guardians

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/3-offseason-moves-tigers-make-alds-loss-guardians');   ga('set', 'title', '3 offseason moves Tigers must make after ALDS loss to Guardians');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/X-offseason-moves-Tigers-must-make-after-ALDS-loss-vs.jpg"></figure><h1>3 offseason moves Tigers must make after ALDS loss to Guardians</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-13T14:00:38-07:00">October 13th, 2:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-13T14:00:38-07:00">October 13th, 2:00pm</time><address><a>Christopher Hennessy</a>Christopher Hennessy graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022. He has also worked at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders writer. Chris is originally from Connecticut and is a lifelong New York Yankees, Islanders, and Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Detroit Tigers carried a magical September into October but <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tigers-news-tarik-skubal-regret-game-5-loss-guardians">fell short in Game 5 of the ALDS</a> to the Guardians. This was an unexpected run but the team must capitalize on their new championship window. What offseason moves should the Tigers make to contend for the American League Central next year?</p><p>Tarik Skubal was the star of the season for the Tigers. The lefty is the presumptive Cy Young winner in the AL and was spectacular in his first two playoff starts. His third one got off to a great start, but a Lane Thomas grand slam changed things in Game 5. The team will be built around Skubal next season and for many years in the future.</p><p>They could use some reinforcements in their rotation and lineup. The Tigers could have beaten the Guardians in the series but were not as deep as their division rivals. Adding depth pieces to the roster will be key to ensuring they get back to the playoffs next season.</p><h2><b>Support Tarik Skubal with a big pitching addition</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Tarik-Skubal-with-Detroit-Tigers.jpg"><figcaption>Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Tigers would not have gotten to the ALDS without Skubal. His regular season prowess and postseason starts made Detroit a legit contender in the American League this season. They had a great 1-2 punch while Jack Flaherty was on the team, but he was dealt at the trade deadline. Detroit must add a top-shelf second starter to create a great rotation.</p><p>The<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/orioles-news-corbin-burnes-trade-grade-blockbuster-deal-brewers"> Orioles traded for Corbin Burnes</a> just before the season began last year and benefitted from it tremendously. The Tigers could follow suit and trade for a pitcher heading toward free agency. There is one in their own division, Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox. Crochet was going to be traded before lofty demands kept him in Chicago. He is under team control through 2026.</p><p>They also could try and sign Flaherty to a long-term contract after his half-season with the Dodgers. He signed a one-year deal with the Tigers and has performed well on the deal. If the Southern California kid does not stay with his hometown team, the Tigers should circle back there.</p><h2><b>Tigers add premier outfielder to their lineup</b></h2><p>In the final games of the season, the Tigers were playing outfielder Matt Vierling in the infield and shortstop Wenceel Perez in the outfield. The positional shifting shows just how young and flexible this team was in 2024. That is not something you want to lose, especially in October, <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/2024-25-mlb-free-agents-by-position" rel="noopener">but a</a> top-shelf corner outfielder would be huge for Detroit.</p><p>Alex Verdugo is one solid option who would also provide veteran leadership to the young squad. After one season with the Yankees, the former Dodger and Red Sock will likely need a new team. The Tigers would be able to lock Verdugo into left field and use him in center when Riley Greene needs a day off.</p><p>Teoscar Hernandez and Anthony Santander would both bring incredible pop to the Tigers’ lineup. Both players are unrestricted free agents and currently play on teams looking to save money anywhere. They could be on the move but could also be too expensive for the Tigers. While they would be great offensively, they don’t bring much in terms of corner outfield defense.</p><h2>Figure out the Javier Baez situation</h2><p>The Tigers’ most expensive contract is to shortstop Javier Baez, who is due $98 million through 2027. He <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tigers-news-detroit-dealt-javier-baez-injury-blow">did not play a game after August 22</a>, which means he missed most of the incredible run. He has been brutal as a member of the Tigers, with a 71 OPS+ in 360 games in Detroit. If they are going to move on from Baez, they must do it now.</p><p>Bringing him back shows a commitment to his development as a 31-year-old, highly-paid player. Fans and analysts alike know that Baez is not who he used to be and strikes out more than anyone in baseball. The Tigers likely see that as well, but may have no choice but to bring him back next season.</p><p>The Tigers could designate Baez for assignment and eat the money he is owed. That does not get them any salary relief and might not get him out of the organization. He is almost impossible to trade right now unless the Tigers retain a lot of the salary. That creates the same problem. Detroit has to figure out how to reward the current roster and not be anchored by Baez next season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 offseason moves Tigers must make after ALDS loss to Guardians

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/tigers-news-tarik-skubal-regret-game-5-loss-guardians');   ga('set', 'title', 'Tigers’ Tarik Skubal reveals regret after Game 5 loss to Guardians');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Tarik-Skubal-reveals-regret-after-Game-5-loss-to-Guardians.jpg"></figure><h1>Tigers’ Tarik Skubal reveals regret after Game 5 loss to Guardians</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-12T20:46:17-07:00">October 12th, 8:46pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-12T20:46:17-07:00">October 12th, 8:46pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is the former editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, where he also spearheaded the video department and event production. He is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Detroit Tigers pushed the AL Central-winning Cleveland Guardians to the brink in the ALDS. With the series tied at 2-2, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/guardians-stephen-vogts-fiery-message-after-defeating-tigers">the Guardians took the decisive Game 5</a> and ended the upstart Tigers’ incredible season. Determined to go out swinging, Detroit sent ace Tarik Skubal to the mound for the do-or-die series finale. The fifth-year starter kept Cleveland off the scoreboard through four innings. Then he ran into trouble.</p><p>The Guardians loaded the bases, bringing up veteran third baseman Jose Ramirez. Skubal plunked Cleveland’s slugger, which brought in a run – the first run the pitcher allowed in 17 postseason innings. However, the damage was still yet to come. Center fielder Lane Thomas was up next and he drove Skubal’s first offering to left-center for a grand slam. Just like that, the Guardians were up 5-1 with the Tigers’ ace on the ropes.</p><p>“It was one pitch… I would <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/recap/_/gameId/401701061" rel="noopener">love to have it back</a>. But what a swing. In the moment, you think about executing the pitch and I didn’t do it. This will sting a little bit and it should,” Skubal said per ESPN’s Game Recap.</p><h2><b>Tarik Skubal and the Tigers fell just short against the Guardians in the ALDS</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Tarik-Skubal_8ae9d9.jpg"><figcaption>Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Tigers have proven to be a resilient bunch. The team appeared to be sellers at the trade deadline, moving their second-best starter, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-los-angeles-jack-flaherty-tigers-trade">Jack Flaherty, to the Los Angeles Dodgers</a>. But then Detroit got hot in the second half of the season. The Tigers were 39-26 since returning from the All-Star break, the third-best record in baseball during that stretch. They reached the postseason for the first time in 10 years. They <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tigers-news-aj-hinch-upset-astros-alds-guardians">upset manager AJ Hinch’s old squad, the Houston Astros</a>, in the Wild Card round. They even took a 2-1 lead in the ALDS against the Guardians.</p><p>In Skubal’s first start in Game 2, DH <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tigers-news-kerry-carpenter-stuns-fans-clutch-homer-vs-emmanuel-clase">Kerry Carpenter hit a three-run homer</a> off Reliever of the Year frontrunner Emmanuel Clase in the ninth inning to even the series 1-1. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tigers-news-tarik-skubal-dominance-guardians-justin-verlander-territory">Skubal was dominant in Game 2</a>, going seven innings and scattering three hits without allowing a run. He struck out eight Cleveland batters in that game and didn’t issue a walk.</p><p>This time around, the Tigers had no answer for the Guardians. Skubal had an uncharacteristic rough performance going six innings and allowing five runs on six hits with six strikeouts and a walk. Detroit’s bats didn’t come alive and Cleveland won the game and the series.</p><p>Despite the disappointing Game 5, Skubal was still excellent in the postseason. He had a 2.37 ERA, 0.769 WHIP and 20 strikeouts in 19 innings pitched over three starts. No matter how you look at it, the season was a massive success for the Tigers, who wisely hung onto their young left-hander at the trade deadline. Skubal won the pitching Triple Crown in 2024, leading the majors with 18 wins and 228 strikeouts along with an AL-leading 2.39 ERA in 31 starts. He’s a near lock to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-cy-young-power-rankings-chris-sale-leads-tight-nl-race">win his first Cy Young Award</a>.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Guardians are moving on. Cleveland will play the New York Yankees in the Championship Series, which starts on Monday evening in the Bronx.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Tigers’ Tarik Skubal reveals regret after Game 5 loss to Guardians

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/guardians-news-guardians-acknowledge-tigers-season-6-word-message');   ga('set', 'title', 'Guardians acknowledge Tigers’ incredible season with 6-word message');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Guardians-news-Cleveland-acknowledges-Tigers-incredible-season-with-6-word-message.jpg"></figure><h1>Guardians acknowledge Tigers’ incredible season with 6-word message</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-12T20:25:07-07:00">October 12th, 8:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-12T20:26:37-07:00">October 12th, 8:26pm</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. A die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic, Brayden further channels his baseball enthusiasm through his podcast, where he delves into the latest in sports with engaging commentary. He also serves as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School. His commitment to sports journalism is evident in his diverse experiences with ContraCosta.news and his dedication to delivering compelling and insightful content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Following a thrilling conclusion to their AL Division Series, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/guardians-stephen-vogts-fiery-message-after-defeating-tigers">Cleveland Guardians congratulated the Detroit Tigers</a> for their formidable postseason run.</p><p>“Congratulations on an unbelievable run, Tigers,” the Guardians stated via their official X account, acknowledging the fierce competition and memorable moments shared between the two AL Central rivals.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Congratulations on an unbelievable run, <a href="https://twitter.com/tigers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tigers</a>. ❤️💙<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForTheLand?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForTheLand</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GuardsBall?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GuardsBall</a> <a href="https://t.co/Bo6xp91C5t">pic.twitter.com/Bo6xp91C5t</a></p><p>— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) <a href="https://twitter.com/CleGuardians/status/1845199008203157800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Despite an <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tigers-news-parker-meadows-makes-postseason-history-not-seen-90-years">impressive season that saw them reach the postseason</a>, the Tigers were unable to advance past the Guardians in a series filled with dramatic turns. Centerfielder Lane Thomas of the Guardians became a standout performer, especially during Game 5, where he faced Tigers’ ace Tarik Skubal. Skubal, a potential AL Cy Young Award winner, had dominated throughout the series but faced a <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/41757418/thomas-slam-skubal-helps-guardians-tigers-alcs" rel="noopener">critical moment</a> in the fifth inning that shifted the series’ momentum.</p><h2><b>Guardians advance to ALCS</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/AJ-Hinch-1.jpg"><figcaption>David Richard-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>“You dream of at-bats like that as a little kid, and to do it on this stage, in this game, and to come through for the guys in the clubhouse, it feels awesome,” via Thomas in an article from Jesse Rogers of ESPN, reflecting on his crucial at-bat.</p><p>His grand slam not only propelled the Guardians to a 5-1 lead but also marked him as one of the few players in MLB history to hit a go-ahead grand slam in a winner-take-all postseason game. This pivotal moment came after a tense build-up where the Guardians had struggled to gain offensive traction against Skubal, who had been near-flawless up to that point.</p><p>The series itself was a showcase of high stakes and high emotions, with the Guardians ultimately prevailing 7-3 in Game 5, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/yankees-reveal-when-gerrit-cole-will-start-in-alcs">moving them forward to face the New York Yankees</a> in the AL Championship Series. The victory was a collective effort, characterized by strategic plays and key performances, including from players like Thomas who rose to the occasion when it mattered most.</p><p>“There were a couple of times that we had to kind of go off the script, but at the same time, it was watch the game, see what the game is telling us to do.” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt commented in the ESPN article, noting the series’ intensity and the strategic decisions made. As the Guardians advance, the Tigers reflect on a season of significant achievements and missed opportunities.</p><p>“This was an incredible series. It’s great for baseball. It’s great for the AL Central.” said Tigers manager AJ Hinch, who praised the series for its intensity and contribution to the sport.</p><p>The sportsmanship displayed by the Guardians in their public acknowledgment of the Tigers’ efforts exemplifies the respect and camaraderie that sports can foster, even amid fierce competition. As both teams look ahead, the Tigers will aim to build on this year’s experiences, while the Guardians set their sights on their next challenge in the quest for a World Series title.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Guardians acknowledge Tigers’ incredible season with 6-word message

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/guardians-news-emmanuel-clase-wild-thing-entrance-goes-viral');   ga('set', 'title', 'Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase’s Wild Thing entrance goes viral');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Guardians-news-Emmanuel-Clases-Wild-Thing-entrance-goes-viral.jpg"></figure><h1>Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase’s Wild Thing entrance goes viral</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-12T15:19:53-07:00">October 12th, 3:19pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-12T15:43:28-07:00">October 12th, 3:43pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On the rare occasion when reality and cinema blend together, electricity tends to ensue. When the Cleveland Guardians called upon Emmanuel Clase to record the final six outs in Game 5 of the American League Division Series, he brought everyone back to 1989.</p><p>The All-Star closer <a href="https://x.com/MLBONFOX/status/1845204304858169733" rel="noopener">came through the bullpen doors</a> and jogged towards the mound as the rock song “Wild Thing” blared over the speaker, via Fox Sports: MLB.</p><p>After paying homage to Charlie Sheen’s iconic Ricky Vaughn– the beloved rebel flamethrower from the classic sports film, “Major League”– Clase proceeded to mow through every batter he faced to secure the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/guardians-stephen-vogts-fiery-message-after-defeating-tigers">series-clinching 7-3 win</a> over the Detroit Tigers.</p><p>Cleveland punctuated the hard-fought ALDS victory with a euphoric trip down memory lane, except this triumph was completely real. The Guardians finally solved the seemingly indecipherable Tarik Skubal code in the fifth inning as midseason acquisition <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/guardians-news-lane-thomas-grand-slam-tarik-skubal-mlb-world-buzzing">Lane Thomas blasted a grand slam</a> in the fifth inning to build a 5-1 lead.</p><p>Steven Kwan enjoyed another three-hit outing, Cleveland sweated out a couple of big Detroit at-bats, and Clase tossed two masterful innings to finish off the scrappy club.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Emmanuel Clase x Wild Thing entrance 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/1u9ng0PRoH">pic.twitter.com/1u9ng0PRoH</a></p><p>— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBONFOX/status/1845204304858169733?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Can the Guardians bring “Major League” to life in ALCS?</b></h2><p>Surviving the Tigers is obviously cause for elation on its own, but the Guardians made the moment even more special by supplying fans with a dash of movie magic.</p><p>Clase’s “Wild Thing” entrance calls back to the scene when the erratic yet superbly talented Ricky Vaughn is asked to put away the most fierce hitter in the league, New York Yankees slugger Clu Haywood (portrayed by actual AL Cy Young winner Pete Vuckovich).</p><p>Similar to Vaughn’s struggles against the Yankees, Clase came into Game 5 with a recently poor track record versus the Tigers. He allowed a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tigers-news-kerry-carpenter-mlb-feat-not-seen-since-1988-world-series">back-breaking home run</a> to Kerry Carpenter in Game 2 and also surrendered a run in the ninth inning of Cleveland’s Game 4 victory. Again, just like Vaughn, the Dominican Republic native brought down the hammer late in a must-win matchup.</p><p>Admittedly, the Guardians took the pressure off Emmanuel Clase by adding another insurance run in the eighth, but there are no guarantees when it comes to ousting the relentless underdog that is the 2024 Detroit Tigers. Clase ensured that Cleveland would get a feel-good ending, at least on this day.</p><p>There are more parallels between “Major League” and the Guardians’ current postseason run, as they now prepare for a big encounter with New York. The club will need Clase to maintain the same aura he did late in Game 5 if it is going to seize its first pennant since 2016.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase’s Wild Thing entrance goes viral

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/tigers-news-parker-meadows-makes-postseason-history-not-seen-90-years');   ga('set', 'title', 'Parker Meadows makes Tigers postseason history not seen in 90 years');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Parker-Meadows-makes-Detroit-postseason-history-not-seen-in-90-years.jpg"></figure><h1>Parker Meadows makes Tigers postseason history not seen in 90 years</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-12T12:45:07-07:00">October 12th, 12:45pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-12T12:45:07-07:00">October 12th, 12:45pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Detriot Tigers outfielder Parker Meadows didn’t waste time making franchise playoff history Saturday afternoon. At the top of the second inning of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tigers-vs-guardians-alds-game-5-prediction-odds-pick-2024">Tigers’ Game 5 do-or-die against the Cleveland Guardians</a> ALDS finale, Meadows hit a double to extend his hitting streak early in the series clincher. The double stretches his streak to seven games, a <a href="https://twitter.com/BNightengale/status/1845160362104193165" rel="noopener">franchise postseason record</a> in his playoff debut, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.</p><p>“The only Detroit Tigers player to open his postseason career with a 7-game hitting streak that Parker Meadows just accomplished today? Hall of Fame second baseman Charlie Gehringer in 1934,” Nightengale reported.</p><p>Then, Meadow stole third base, his first stolen base in the postseason. His bat remains consistent throughout the MLB Playoffs with six hits, one home run, and one RBI while batting .244 in 25 at-bats.</p><p>Game 5’s winner will face the New York Yankees in the ALCS.</p><h2><b>Parker Meadows makes Tigers franchise postseason history</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Tigers-outfielder-Parker-Meadows.jpg"><figcaption>Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>In his first MLB Playoffs appearance, Detriot Tigers outfielder Parker Meadow’s seven-game hitting streak surpassed Tigers’ Hall of Fame second baseman Charlie Gehringer. The second-year outfielder’s hot streak continued against the Cleveland Guardians in a decisive <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-news-why-guardians-tigers-game-5-has-new-start-time">Game 5 of the ALDS</a>, breaking Gehringer’s 1934 six-game hit streak.</p><p>Gehringer played all 18 seasons of his career for the Tigers, and his No. 2 jersey is retired. He was named to six All-Star teams (1933-1938), led the Tigers to a World Series title in 1935, and was named AL MVP in 1937.</p><p>Much like Gehringer captured his first championship in his second season, Meadows hopes to do the same in 2024. However, he and the Tigers must beat the Guardians again before entering a seven-game ALCS series against the Yankees, who won the Kansas City Royals 3-1 in Game 4, wrapping up their best-of-5, 3-1, on Thursday.</p><p>The winner between the Tigers and Guardians will head to New York for Game 1 of the ALCS on Monday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Parker Meadows makes Tigers postseason history not seen in 90 years

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/guardians-news-jose-ramirez-approaching-barry-bonds-alds');   ga('set', 'title', 'How Guardians’ Jose Ramirez is approaching Barry Bonds territory in ALDS');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Guardians-news-How-Jose-Ramirez-is-approaching-Barry-Bonds-territory-in-ALDS.jpg"></figure><h1>How Guardians’ Jose Ramirez is approaching Barry Bonds territory in ALDS</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-12T12:30:57-07:00">October 12th, 12:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-12T12:41:06-07:00">October 12th, 12:41pm</time><address><a>Derek Hryn</a>Derek Hryn is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints specializing in NFL and NCAA Football coverage. Derek was previously a fantasy football expert at DK and SB Nation, and he has been featured at FanSided, USA Today, NBC Sports, The New York Post, and others.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Emotions are running high as the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-news-why-guardians-tigers-game-5-has-new-start-time">Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers</a> compete in the deciding game of the ALDS. While the winner advances to play the New York Yankees, third-baseman Jose Ramirez <a href="https://x.com/castrovince/status/1845162994507928055" rel="noopener">took another step toward history</a> during Saturday’s game, per Anthony Castrovince on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>After making the Tigers sweat on his first at-bat, the skittish Detroit manager AJ Hinch intentionally walked Ramirez in the third inning. Of course, the 32-year-old didn’t take kindly to the decision, and even “wagged his finger” at Hinch before being walked. It was the third time that he’s been IBB’d in this series, which is the most of any slugger since Barry Bonds (six) in 2003.</p><p>Ramirez was later plunked by Tarik Skubal in the fifth, where things took a drastic turn. Ramirez was put on base that brought in a run, and left the bases loaded for Lane Thomas to bring all of the runners in with a 396-foot grand slam. Ramirez later singled in the seventh inning.</p><p>With the Guardians in command, the eyes turn back to Ramirez, and how his slugging prowess has gotten the Bonds treatment from opposing playoff pitchers.</p><h2><b>How has Jose Ramirez fared in the MLB postseason?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Jose-Ramirez_8a5d71.jpg"><figcaption>Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Ramirez has certainly been a presence in the ALDS. He’s logged three base hits, one being a homerun, with two RBIs. Despite three strikeouts against the Tigers’ sturdy pitcher rotation, he’s played his role well and has helped open up opportunities for his fellow teammates in the batting order.</p><p>Ramirez should have a great chance to redeem himself <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/guardians-news-cleveland-reliever-jaw-dropping-alds-history">if the Guardians can hold on</a> to secure the win and advance to play the Yankees on Monday. First pitch is set for 7:38 at Yankee Stadium, and the Guardians would face another brutal pitching rotation in the Big Apple.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

How Guardians’ Jose Ramirez is approaching Barry Bonds territory in ALDS

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/guardians-news-steven-kwan-immense-impact-in-depth-look');   ga('set', 'title', 'Steven Kwan’s immense impact gets in-depth look');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Guardians-news-Steven-Kwans-immense-impact-gets-in-depth-look.jpg"></figure><h1>Steven Kwan’s immense impact gets in-depth look</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-12T12:20:44-07:00">October 12th, 12:20pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-12T12:27:26-07:00">October 12th, 12:27pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is the former editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, where he also spearheaded the video department and event production. He is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With the Cleveland Guardians facing elimination in Game 4 of the ALDS against the Detroit Tigers the team came through with a huge 5-4 win to force a decisive Game 5 on Saturday. Left fielder Steven <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/guardians-news-steven-kwan-joins-legend-franchise-postseason-history">Kwan made franchise history</a> when he started the playoffs with a leadoff hit. On Thursday he again delivered at the plate and on the base paths to help lead the Guardians to victory. It’s the latest example of Kwan’s massive impact on the team’s success.</p><p>In Cleveland’s do-or-die Game 4, Kwan went 3-5 with a stolen base and two runs scored. Through four games of the ALDS Kwan is slashing a ridiculous .500/.556/.563 from the leadoff spot. His contributions go beyond eye-popping numbers. When Kwan is successful at the plate, the Guardians <a href="https://x.com/MLBNetwork/status/1845125776028598679" rel="noopener">tend to win</a>.</p><p>This trend goes beyond the small sample size of the playoffs. Looking at the 2024 season, it’s easy to see that if Kwan is cooking, Cleveland wins. The third-year pro has a .988 OPS in 69 Guardian wins this season. However, in 57 losses, his OPS is just .565, according to MLB Network on X. The numbers are consistent across the board. Kwan is batting .353 with 29 extra-base hits, 36 RBI and 70 runs scored in Cleveland victories, while those numbers drop to a .229 average, 5 extra-base hits, 8 RBI and 17 runs scored in the team’s losses.</p><h2><b>Steven Kwan is the Guardians’ secret weapon</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Steven-Kwan-2.jpg"><figcaption>Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The MLB Tonight crew <a href="https://x.com/MLBNetwork/status/1845125776028598679" rel="noopener">predicted</a> that if Kwan is able to get two base hits against Tigers’ ace Tarik Skubal in the winner-take-all Game 5 on Saturday, the Guardians would win the series. While it’s still too early to call, the All-Star outfielder is already 2-3 with a run scored (raising his slash line to .526/.571/.579) and Cleveland leads 5-3 in the top of the seventh inning.</p><p>It’s easy to get overlooked in a lineup that has the consistently excellent Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor, who both deservedly get a lot of credit for the Guardians’ success. But Kwan is unquestionably an integral part of this team, setting the table from the leadoff spot for Cleveland’s power bats.</p><p>The Guardians won the AL Central, earning a bye during the Wild Card round. That time off benefitted Kwan, who had missed 11 games with a back injury in September. He was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/guardians-news-guardians-steven-kwan-makes-injury-return-ahead-postseason">able to return from the IL</a> for the last two games of the regular season and, following Cleveland’s bye, he hit the ground running in the ALDS.</p><p>So far in his young career, Kwan has delivered in the postseason. In 11 games, he’s batting .370 with a .898 OPS and eight runs scored. If the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/guardians-news-steven-kwan-cleveland-mlb-playoffs-alds">Guardians can take care of business</a> and defeat the Tigers, Kwan and Cleveland will move on to face the New York Yankees in the Championship Series.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Steven Kwan’s immense impact gets in-depth look

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/guardians-news-lebron-james-message-cleveland-alds-game-5');   ga('set', 'title', 'LeBron James’ strong message to Guardians before ALDS Game 5');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LeBron-James-strong-message-to-Cleveland-before-ALDS-Game-5.jpg"></figure><h1>LeBron James’ strong message to Guardians before ALDS Game 5</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-11T22:54:30-07:00">October 11th, 10:54pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-11T22:54:30-07:00">October 11th, 10:54pm</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/guardians-news-david-fry-pulls-off-unreal-feat-vs-tigers-not-seen-since-1954">Cleveland Guardians saved their season on Thursday</a> with a clutch 5-4 victory on the road against the Detroit Tigers in Game 4 of the American League Division Series. With the win, the Guardians earned themselves another chance to stay alive. The two teams will settle things for good on Saturday in Cleveland with a win-or-go-home Game 5.</p><p>Before the game, current Los Angeles Lakers star and Akron, OH native LeBron James <a href="https://x.com/KingJames/status/1844940068152279047" rel="noopener">took to social media</a> to wish his hometown Guardians luck before the biggest game of their season.</p><p>“@CleGuardians Best of luck tomorrow!!! O-H 🫡,” James wrote on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>The Guardians’ official account <a href="https://x.com/CleGuardians/status/1844940894413205894" rel="noopener">wasted no time</a> finishing off the common Ohio catchphrase.</p><p>“Thank you, LeBron. I-O! 🫡,” they posted.</p><p>James just finished up attending another Game 5, this one in the NLDS between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres in Los Angeles. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-shohei-ohtani-reaction-nlds-win">Dodgers pulled that one off</a> with an elite pitching performance in a 2-0 win, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-lakers-lebron-james-message-la-nlcs-spot">James offered his congratulations</a> to the team in his current town.</p><p>The Lakers are off tomorrow, so there’s not doubt that James will be keeping a close eye on the Guardians game during the day.</p><h2><b>Guardians looking to solve Tarik Skubal in Game 5</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Jose-Ramirez.jpg"><figcaption>© Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Guardians finished with the second best record in the American League during the regular season, yet they find themselves as a slight underdog in Game 5 of the ALDS at home.</p><p>All of that, of course, comes down to facing one of the hottest teams in the league in the Tigers, with arguably the hottest pitcher in baseball scheduled to be on the bump on Saturday. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tigers-news-tarik-skubal-dominance-guardians-justin-verlander-territory">Tarik Skubal has been practically untouchable</a> down the stretch of this season, but the Guardians will have to figure him out if they want to move on to the ALCS.</p><p>Skubal’s numbers are ridiculous of late. The Tigers’ ace has not given up a run in his last three starts, including a seven-inning, three-hit gem in Game 2 in Cleveland. He has not given up more than two runs in a start since August 24, a streak that spans over his last seven starts.</p><p>Skubal’s stuff has been phenomenal of late, and the Guardians’ stars will have to show up in order to get them out in front. Third baseman Jose Ramirez is the best of that bunch, but he hasn’t had his best stuff in this series. Ramirez is just 2-for-14 in four games, but he got some momentum going in Game 4 with a solo home run. If he can come up with a similar moment on Saturday, the Guardians can find themselves in a good spot with a lead.</p><p>If they do take a lead into the late innings, the Guardians have the best closer in baseball in Emmanuel Clase. Clase got the loss in Game 2 after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tigers-news-kerry-carpenter-secret-hitting-hardest-ball-emmanuel-clase">giving up a monster home run to Kerry Carpenter</a>, but he still finished the regular season with 47 saves and just five earned runs allowed in 74.1 innings. Cleveland will feel good any time he’s on the mound.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

LeBron James’ strong message to Guardians before ALDS Game 5

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/tigers-news-tigers-tarik-skubal-responds-mom-after-being-called-out-nsfw-language');   ga('set', 'title', 'Tigers’ Tarik Skubal responds to his mom after being called out for NSFW language');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Tigers-news-Tarik-Skubal-responds-to-his-mom-after-being-called-out-for-NSFW-language.jpg"><figcaption>10/11/24</figcaption></figure><h1>Tigers’ Tarik Skubal responds to his mom after being called out for NSFW language</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-11T18:20:25-07:00">October 11th, 6:20pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-11T18:20:25-07:00">October 11th, 6:20pm</time><address><a>Steve Silverman</a>Steve Silverman has been covering the NFL for more than 35 years, and his writing has appeared in ESPN Magazine, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, Pro Football Weekly, and Forbes.com. He has written 10 books, including "Who's Better, Who's Best in the NFL." He has won multiple awards from the Pro Football Writers of America.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tigers-news-tarik-skubal-dominance-guardians-justin-verlander-territory">Tarik Skubal is scheduled</a> to start Game 5 of the American League Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians Saturday. While the Detroit Tigers star pitcher has clearly shown the ability to focus on shutting down opponents throughout the season, doing it in a win or go home game is something that the ace left-handed pitcher has not faced to this point.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="in">Tarik Daniel!!</p><p>— Laura Skubal (@lskubal) <a href="https://twitter.com/lskubal/status/1843424595954786525?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>While he has spent the off-day preparing for the task at hand and answering questions from the media, he has had something of a distraction to contend with. Skubal’s mother, Laura Skubal, sent a message to her son that he should tone down his language. She does not like to see her son curse when he is in a game. He apparently did just that in Game 2 when Skubal and the Tigers shut down the Guardians in a 7-0 shutout triumph.</p><p>She couldn’t hear her son, but Laura Skubal was obviously able to read lips. Her message was delivered through X when she said his name the way mothers do when they are disapprove of their child’s behavior. “Tarik Daniel,” <a href="https://x.com/lskubal/status/1843424595954786525">she posted</a>.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tigers-news-aj-hinch-tarik-skubal-injury-game-1">Skubal is not necessarily</a> going to follow his mother’s language directions. Instead, he was able to come up with a counter to her directive when he met with reporters.</p><h2><b>Skubal has words of his own for his mother</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Tarik-Skubal-and-his-mom-disagree-about-his-choice-of-words.jpg"><figcaption>Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Basically, Skubal said he was just following her example. Skubal said that when his mother was a high school basketball player, <a href="https://x.com/JomboyMedia/status/1844838137647743083">she got ejected</a> from a number of games for the things she said to officials.</p><p>“Yeah, that’s interesting that my mom went to Twitter (X) to say that because you should hear my mom when she was growing up,” he said. “I think that’s interesting, yeah, that she wants to make that comment. I’ve seen her get ejected out of plenty of high school basketball games. So I guess it might run in the family a little bit there.”</p><p>Aside from rejecting the motherly advice, Skubal knows he has to come up with another brilliant effort to give the Tigers their best chance of winning the final game of the series and advancing to the American League Championship Series. The winner of Saturday’s decisive game will play the Yankees for the right to represent the American League in the World Series.</p><p>Skubal is the odds-on favorite to win the Cy Young Award in the American League. He had a remarkable 18-4 record with a 2.39 earned run average while striking out 228 hitters in 192.0 innings. He started 31 games this season and 22 of them were considered quality starts.</p><p>Skubal has been even better in the postseason He has pitched 13.0 innings and he has not given up an earned run. He has 14 strikeouts in 13.0 innings.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Tigers’ Tarik Skubal responds to his mom after being called out for NSFW language

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/tigers-vs-guardians-alds-game-5-prediction-odds-pick-2024');   ga('set', 'title', 'Tigers vs. Guardians ALDS Game 5 prediction, odds, pick');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Tigers-vs-Guardians-ALDS-Game-1-prediction-odds-pick.jpg"></figure><h1>Tigers vs. Guardians ALDS Game 5 prediction, odds, pick</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-11T17:59:52-07:00">October 11th, 5:59pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-11T17:59:52-07:00">October 11th, 5:59pm</time><address><a>Bryan Logan</a>Bryan Logan decided to jump into his passion for Sports Betting in 2022 after spending years in the world of education. With a love for analytics and all sports, he began working on models for daily sports picks. This led him to ClutchPoints in 2023, where he is a part of the betting editorial team.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It is win or go home in the ALDS as the Detroit Tigers face the Cleveland Guardians. It’s time to continue our ALDS odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting" rel="noopener">series</a> with a Tigers-Guardians prediction and pick.</p><h2><b>Tigers-Guardians Game 5 Projected Starters </b></h2><p><b>Tarik Skubal</b> vs. <b>Matthew Boyd</b></p><p><b>Tarik Skubal</b> (18-4) with a 2.39 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP</p><p>Last Start: Skubal went seven innings against the Guardians, giving up three hits and striking out eight. He took the no-decision, but the Tigers won the game 3-0.</p><p>2024 Road Splits:  Skubal was 8-3 on the road with a 2.86 ERA and a .234 opponent batting average.</p><p><b>Matthew Boyd</b> (2-2) with a 2.72 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP</p><p>Last Start: Boyd went 4.2 innings in his last start, giving up four hits and two walks. He would not give up a run, but take the no-decision as the Guardians lost to the Tigers.</p><p>2024 Home Splits: Boyd was 1-1 in four starts at home with a 2.25 ERA and a .205 opponent batting average.</p><p><b><i>Here are the Tigers-Guardians <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb" rel="noopener">ALDS Odds</a>, courtesy of FanDuel. </i></b></p><h2><b>ALDS Odds: Tigers-Guaridans Odds</b></h2><p>Detroit Tigers: -1.5 (+155)</p><p>Moneyline: -124</p><p>Cleveland Guardians: +1.5 (-188)</p><p>Moneyline: +106</p><p>Over: 6 (-104)</p><p>Under: 6 (-118)</p><h2><b>How to Watch Tigers vs. Guardians Game 5</b></h2><p>Time: 1:08 PM ET/ 10:08 SM PT</p><p>TV: TBS</p><p>Stream: fuboTV (<a href="https://www.fubo.tv/stream/mlb/?irad=377812&amp;irmp=492408" rel="noopener sponsored">Free Trial</a>)</p><h2><b>Why The Tigers Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>The Tigers were 19th in the majors in runs scored in the regular season while sitting 24th in batting average, 29th in on-base percentage, and 22nd in slugging. Riley Green has led the way this year. He hit .262 in the regular season with a .348 on-base percentage. Green has 24 home runs, 74 RBIs, and 82 runs scored. Also entering the playoffs off a stellar year is Colt Keith. Keith has hit .260 this year with a .309 on-base percentage. He has 13 home runs, 61 RBIs and 54 runs scored. Rounding out the top bats this year is Matt Vierling. Vierling is hitting .257 this year with a .312 on-base percentage. He has 16 home runs, 57 RBIs, and 80 runs scored this year.</p><p>Andy Ibanez has led the way in the playoffs for the Tigers. He is hitting .250 with two doubles and three RBIs so far. Further, Kerry Carpenter is hitting well. He is hitting .250 with a .294 on-base percentage. Carpenter has a home run, three RBIs, and three runs scored. Jake Rogers is also playing well. In the playoffs, he is hitting .278 with a .381 on-base percentage. He has an RBI and three runs scored. Finally, Parker Meadows is hitting .240 in the playoffs. Meadows has a home run, an RBI, and three runs scored in the playoffs. The Tigers are hitting .226 in the playoffs with three home runs and 18 runs scored in six games.</p><h2><b>Why The Guardians Will Cover The Spread/Win</b></h2><p>In the regular season, the Guardians are 14th in runs scored while sitting 22nd in batting average, 18th in on-base percentage, and 16th in slugging. Jose Ramirez has led the way this year. He is hitting .279 this year with a .335 on-base percentage. Ramirez has 39 home runs, 41 stolen bases, 118 RBIs, and 114 runs scored. Further, Josh Naylor has been solid as well. He is hitting .243 with a .320 on-base percentage. He has 31 home runs, 108 RBIS, and 84 runs scored. Rounding out the best bats this year was Steven Kwan. Kwan is hitting .292 on the year with a .368 on-base percentage. He has 14 home runs, 44 RBIs, and 82 runs scored.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/guardians-news-david-fry-pulls-off-unreal-feat-vs-tigers-not-seen-since-1954">David Fry has led the way</a> in the playoffs. Fry has hit .273 in the playoffs with a .333 on-base percentage. He has a home run, five RBIs, and two runs scored in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Lane Thomas has been solid as well. He is hitting .267 with a home run, four RBIs, and a run scored in the playoffs. Jose Ramirez is the only other player with multiple RBIs in the playoffs. He is hitting just .143 with a home run and two RBIs plus two runs scored. Steven Kwan is still hitting well. He is hitting .500 but does not have an RBI. He has scored four times. The Guardians are hitting .214 in the playoffs with three home runs and 12 runs scored in four games.</p><p>Current Guardians have 82 career at-bats against Tarik Skubal. They have hit .220 against Skubal. Jose Ramirez has the most experience, going 9-24 with three doubles and a triple. Meanwhile, Austin Hedges has the only RBI against Skubal. He is 3-10 with an RBI. Finally, Josh Naylor is just 2-12 with a double.</p><h2><b>Final Tigers-Guardians Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>Tarik Skubal has been amazing in the post-season already. He has pitched 13 innings in his two starts so far in the playoffs, going 13 innings, giving up seven hits and a walk. Skubal has not given up a run and struck out 14. Both offensive units have scored three runs per game in the playoffs so far. Still, some of the major players for the Guardians are not hitting well, and the Tigers have the better pitcher. The Guardians were the odds-on favorite to beat the Tigers in the ALDS, but the Tigers will be the ones moving on.</p><p><b>Final Tigers-Guardians Prediction &amp; Pick: Tigers ML (-124) </b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Tigers vs. Guardians ALDS Game 5 prediction, odds, pick

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/tigers-news-tigers-playoff-hero-concerning-injury-update-before-game-5');   ga('set', 'title', 'Tigers’ playoff hero gets concerning injury update before must-win Game 5');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/0-Detroits-playoff-hero-gets-concerning-injury-update-before-must-win-Game-5-0.jpg"></figure><h1>Tigers’ playoff hero gets concerning injury update before must-win Game 5</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-11T12:40:08-07:00">October 11th, 12:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-11T15:14:15-07:00">October 11th, 3:14pm</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. A die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic, Brayden further channels his baseball enthusiasm through his podcast, where he delves into the latest in sports with engaging commentary. He also serves as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School. His commitment to sports journalism is evident in his diverse experiences with ContraCosta.news and his dedication to delivering compelling and insightful content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Detroit Tigers are nervously awaiting the health verdict on <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tigers-news-kerry-carpenter-stuns-fans-clutch-homer-vs-emmanuel-clase">Kerry Carpenter, their playoff hero</a>, whose participation in the winner-take-all <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-news-why-guardians-tigers-game-5-has-new-start-time">Game 5 of the AL Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians</a> hangs in the balance.</p><p>Carpenter, instrumental in the Tigers’ current postseason run, is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury that he sustained in a pivotal moment of Game 4. As the series returns to Detroit all squared up, his availability could decisively influence the outcome.</p><p>Carpenter, who clinched Game 2 with a dramatic three-run homer, aggravated his hamstring while scoring a crucial run in Thursday night’s encounter, which saw the Guardians eventually prevail 5-4. The incident has left the Tigers and their fans <a href="https://x.com/beckjason/status/1844777282671382730" rel="noopener">anxiously wondering</a> whether he can contribute to what promises to be a fiercely contested Game 5.</p><p>“Kerry Carpenter will test out his hamstring today and tomorrow before the Tigers decide his status for Game 5. ‘We’re gonna take as much time as we can to see what he can and can’t handle,’ A.J. Hinch said.” via Jason Beck in X, formerly Twitter.</p><h2><b>Kerry Carpenter might be out for game 5</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Kerry-Carpenter.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>This challenge is compounded by a last-minute schedule change due to weather concerns with MLB moving the start time from the evening to early afternoon. This adjustment reduces the window for Carpenter’s recovery and testing, placing additional pressure on the team’s preparations.</p><p>Carpenter’s heroics have been a highlight of the Tigers’ season. Beyond his pivotal postseason performances, he also contributed <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/carpeke01.shtml" rel="noopener">18 home runs</a> in just 87 games during the regular season, an impressive tally especially considering he missed time with a stress fracture in his lower back.</p><p>His power and presence in the lineup have been key factors in the club’s offensive strategy, and his absence would undoubtedly be felt.</p><p>If Carpenter is deemed unable to play and needs to be replaced on the roster, the Tigers would face not only the immediate challenge of filling his spot in the lineup but also longer-term implications.</p><p>MLB rules stipulate that if he is replaced, he would be ineligible to play in the ALCS should Detroit <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/yankees-guaranteed-world-series-win">advance to face the New York Yankees</a>, adding another layer of strategic complexity to Hinch’s decision-making.</p><p>Bligh Madris stands as a potential replacement if Carpenter cannot go. Having spent the series working out in Toledo, Madris is ready to step in. He batted .269 in 21 games for the Tigers this season and, while he offers a solid option, the drop-off from Carpenter’s postseason heroics would be significant.</p><p>“There is no series if you don’t win tomorrow,” emphasized Hinch.</p><p>Every decision now is geared toward that must-win game with the hope that Carpenter can somehow contribute to a Tigers victory that keeps their season alive. The next few hours will be critical as the team assesses their star player’s health and strategizes for the biggest game of their year.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Tigers’ playoff hero gets concerning injury update before must-win Game 5

2024 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
337	3.52	101	1.18	4

2024 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
337	3.52	101	1.18	4

Reese
Olson

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