DETROIT — A winner-take-all Game 5 Saturday was a fitting end to a series featuring two teams that almost couldn't have played each other any closer in 2024.
And the Cleveland Guardians snapped an eight-game losing streak in winner-take-all playoff games by beating the Detroit Tigers 7-3 Saturday. Cleveland wins the American League Division Series 3-2, as Lane Thomas' grand slam played a big part in Game 5.
The Guardians won the regular season series 7-6, though the Tigers won the run differential battle 60-50. The Guardians have won Games 1 and 4 of this ALDS, with the Tigers taking Games 2 and 3.
Saturday's matchup featured a rematch of Game 2 starters Matthew Boyd for Cleveland and Tarik Skubal for Detroit.
Here's how Game 5 unfolded through our live score updates, highlights and analysis Saturday.
The Guardians are heading to the ALCS . Emmanuel Clase recorded the final six outs in a 7-3 win.
Cleveland will face the New York Yankees in the best-of-seven ALCS, with the Yankees having home-field advantage. Game 1 is Monday night in New York.
Guardians ALCS schedule vs Yankees: Guardians vs. Yankees in the ALCS starts Monday. Here's the full series schedule
Brayan Rocchio adds to Guardians lead
Bryan Rocchio, who has had a tremendous ALDS, has given Cleveladn a 7-3 led with an RBI single in the eighth inning.
Emmanuel Clase struck out Kerry Carpenter swinging to end the eighth inning and then stared him down as he walked off the mound. That was a big strikeout for Clase after Carpenter took him deep for a winning three-run home run in Game 2.
Eli Morgan walked Parker Meadows to open the eighth inning, and the Guardians are turning to Emmanuel Clase to record the final six outs of the game.
The Guardians have Tarik Skubal out of the game, and now they have a three-run lead.
With two runners on, Lane Thomas singled to the right side of the infield off of Will Vest to make it 6-3 in the seventh inning.
And Emmanuel Clase is warming up.
The Guardians are six outs away from the ALCS.
Eli Morgan struck out Spencer Torkelson looking to end the seventh, which is a massive out, as Cleveland is nearing Emmanuel Clase territory.
The Tigers continue to chip away.
With a runner on, Colt Keith drilled an RBI double to center field that has made it a 5-3 score.
Eli Morgan is coming in with one out in the seventh. The Tigers need to pounce now, in the seventh as Emmanuel Clase should be given four, five or even six outs.
The Guardians are nine out away.
With the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth, Hunter Gaddis struck out Kerry Carpenter swinging to end the inning in a massively important at-bat.
Cade Smith and Gaddis are also now the first teammates to pitch in every game of a five-game ALDS in postseason history.
The Tigers will have a lot of work to do, but they've chipped into the Guardians lead in the sixth inning.
With runners on the corners, Jake Rogers singled to right-center field to make it 5-2.
Trey Sweeney drew a walk, which will set up a two-out, bases-loaded matchup between Hunter Gaddis and Kerry Carpenter.
Lane Thomas just sent Progressive Field into a frenzy the likes of which hasn't been seen since Rajai Davis in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.
With it tied 1-1 and the bases loaded, Thomas drilled a grand slam off of Skubal that just cleared the wall in left field. The home crowd went absolutely nuts, and Progressive Field was shaking as Thomas rounded the bases.
That's the first Cleveland postseason grand slam since Francisco Lindor in the 2017 ALDS.
Before that inning, Skubal had thrown 17 scoreless innings in the postseason.
The Guardians are 12 outs away from the ALCS with a four-run lead and the game's best bullpen.
The Guardians have tied it, but it might have come at a cost.
With the bases loaded, Tarik Skubal hit Ramirez with a pitch in the left arm. Ramirez is in obvious pain but remaining in the game. The pitch was 99.9 mph.
Lane Thomas is up with a chance to give the Guardians their first lead of the day.
The matchup of the series is upcoming.
Andres Gimenez and Steven Kwan both singled, and David Fry reached on an infield single with one out on a ball off the end of his bat.
That will loaded the bases with one out for a Jose Ramirez v. Tarik Skubal matchup. It doesn't get better than that.
Kerry Carpenter wasn't in the starting lineup due to a hamstring injury, but with the righty Andrew Walters on the mound in the fourth inning, the Tigers picked the right moment.
Walters walked Trey Sweeney to put a runner on first. Carpenter, who is in obvious discomfort and can barely run, worked the count and then drilled a go-ahead, RBI single to the gap in right-center field. Sweeney beat the relay throw home in a close play. Carpenter ended up on first, though most hitters would have been on second. But he did his job, giving the Tigers the lead.
Spencer Torkelson drilled a double off the left-field wall with two outs against Cade Smith, which led to the Guardians turning to Erik Sabrowski.
With two on and two outs, Sabrowski induced an inning-ending 6-3 groundout.
Smith now has a record 12 strikeouts in this series, the most for a reliever in ALDS history.
It's still scoreless in Cleveland.
The Guardians had a golden opportunity to break through against Skubal but couldn't make it count.
Brayan Rocchio, who is having a really nice series, singled and was followed by Steven Kwan, who sent a ball down the left-field line that was somehow missed by left fielder Riley Greene. What should have been an out turned into a double.
David Fry then struck out as the second out of the inning, which led to Jose Ramirez being intentionally walked with first base open.
That set up a massive matchup with the bases loaded and two outs between Lane Thomas and Skubal, but he popped out to first base to end the inning.
Game 5 remains scoreless heading to the top of the fourth.
Cade Smith is entering the game in the third inning.
The Guardians want as many outs as possible to be thrown by Smith, Clase and perhaps a few others.
Boyd gave up a hit and struck out five in his nine batters faced.
This game is now the league's best starter (Skubal) against the league's best bullpen.
Matthew Boyd has twice worked a high-wire act and escaped any harm.
In the second inning, Park Meadows doubled down the left-field line and then with one out stole third base, putting the go-ahead run at third base.
Jake Rogers then hit a fly-out, but not deep enough to score Meadows from third, and Trey Sweeney was struck out to end the inning.
Boyd has five strikeouts in two innings. Cade Smith is already warming up in the bullpen, which isn't much of a surprise. It's all-hands-on-deck for the Guardians, and there's little incentive to push Boyd too far as the Tigers run through their order a second time.
Steven Kwan reached on an infield single, but Tarik Skubal easily dispatched the next three hitters to get through the first inning without any damage.
It's scoreless after one inning.
Kwan now has a 10-game hit streak in the postseason, tying Kenny Lofton for the longest in club history.
The first inning didn't get off to the best start for Matthew Boyd, but he recovered.
Boyd hit Justyn-Henry Malloy with the first pitch of the game and later issued a walk. But with two outs, Boyd reared back and struck out Wenceel Perez with a fastball to end the inning unscathed. Boyd let out a yell as he walked off the mound.
Boyd struck out the side, and his 94.9 mph fastball to end the inning was the fastest pitch he's thrown since the 2021 season.
Carlos Carrasco tosses first pitch to Shane Bieber ahead of Guardians-Tigers ALDS Game 5
Carlos Carrasco tossed the ceremonial first pitch to Shane Bieber before Game 5 today.
Carrasco finished the regular season in Triple-A Columbus and Bieber was lost for the year after needing Tommy John surgery. Both received a loud ovation.
Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell leads Progressive Field crowd in "Let's go Guards!" chant
The Cavs are representing at Progressive Field ahead of Game 5 today.
Guards Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland and center Tristan Thompson are all in attendance for the game. Mitchell took the mic and led Guardians fans in a "Let's Go Guards! Let's Go Guards!" chant.
Below is some pregame information.
When is ALDS Game 5 between the Guardians and Tigers?
Game 5 has a first-pitch time of 1:08 p.m. ET. The game was moved up seven hours due to incoming inclement weather in Cleveland Saturday night.
- Steven Kwan, LF
- David Fry, DH
- Jose Ramirez, 3B
- Lane Thomas, CF
- Josh Naylor, 1B
- Jhoneknsy Noel, RF
- Bo Naylor, C
- Andres Gimenez, 2B
- Brayan Rocchio, SS
Of note, Bo Naylor is starting at catcher today over Austin Hedges, who caught Boyd in Game 2. Guardians manager Stephen Vogt noted that team's increased trust in Naylor defensively and his added offensive potential for the lineup for the reasoning behind the switch.
Detroit Tigers ALDS Game 5 lineup
- Justyn-Henry Malloy, DH
- Matt Vierling, 3B
- Riley Greene, LF
- Andy Ibanez, 2B
- Wenceel Perez, RF
- Spencer Torkelson, 1B
- Parker Meadows, CF
- Jake Rogers, C
- Trey Sweeney, SS
Of note, Kerry Carpenter is not in the Tigers starting lineup, though their hope is that he can be available as a pinch-hitter if needed. Carpenter hit the game-winning, three-run home run in Game 2 off Emmanuel Clase.
How can I watch/stream/listen to Guardians-Tigers ALDS Game 5?
Saturday's Guardians-Tigers Game 5 will be broadcast on TBS and can be streamed on Max. The game will be broadcast over the radio on WTAM 1100, WMMS 100.7, ESPN radio and WARF 1350.
MLB to own Guardians TV rights in 2025
Major League Baseball will produce and distribute Guardians games in 2025. Here's what we know .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians vs. Tigers score, highlights | ALDS Game 5 recap; Guards advance to ALCS with win
Local News
Comments / 0