DETROIT — Steven Kwan sparked the decisive rally and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Detroit Tigers 4-3 on Tuesday night at Comerica Park, handing Detroit another loss in a slide that is starting to swallow its season.
The Tigers had the tying runs on base in the ninth inning and the bases loaded in the eighth, but they could not cash in. Dillon Dingler struck out swinging, Colt Keith grounded into a force out with runners on first and second, and Zach McKinstry grounded out with the bases full as Detroit watched a chance to reverse the game slip away.
Kwan started the seventh inning by ripping a leadoff double off Tyler Holton’s first-pitch sinker. He moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a groundout, giving Cleveland a 4-3 lead that held the rest of the way. That was the only run the Guardians needed after both starting pitchers worked five innings and each allowed three runs.
Spencer Torkelson had earlier given Detroit life with a two-run home run in the second inning, his first since May 3. Before that swing, he had been mired in a brutal stretch at the plate, hitting.104 with five walks and 25 strikeouts during the drought. The homer briefly put the Tigers ahead 2-1 after Cleveland had opened the scoring in the top of the inning.
The Guardians had begun that second inning with Kyle Manzardo’s single and a walk to Travis Bazzana. Angel Martínez advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt, and Kwan followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0. Detroit answered, but the game stayed tight from there, with neither side able to separate until the seventh.
Keider Montero started for Detroit, and Parker Messick started for Cleveland in the second of four games between the teams at Comerica Park. The Tigers fell to 20-29, while the Guardians improved to 28-22. Detroit has now lost 12 of 14 since Tarik Skubal went on the injured list, and it has dropped two straight to its American League Central rival.
The defeat fit the same pattern that has defined this recent stretch for the Tigers: early resistance, missed chances later, and another narrow loss on the board. A.J. Hinch has said the division runs through Cleveland, and on Tuesday night the Guardians looked the part by turning one clean inning and a few small-ball plays into a win.
On Wednesday at 6:40 p.m., the clubs were scheduled to meet again at Comerica Park.
