DETROIT — Riley Greene, Matt Vierling and Spencer Torkelson each drove in a run and six pitchers combined on a second straight shutout Wednesday to give the Detroit Tigers a 3-0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 3 of the American League Division Series.
Starter Keider Montero and relievers Brant Hurter (1-0), Beau Brieske, Sean Guenther, Will Vest and Tyler Holton limited the Guardians to six hits and two walks as the Tigers took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.
Detroit — which has not allowed a run over the last 20 innings — moved one victory away from its first visit to the AL Championship Series since 2013. Game 4 is set for Thursday at Detroit.
Greene gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the first inning with his two-out single up the middle that scored Parker Meadows from second base. Meadows, who opened the inning with a single to center, has hit safely in all five postseason games this year. He’s the first Tiger to record a hit in each of his first five career playoff games since Al Kaline in 1968.
Jake Rogers helped put Detroit ahead 2-0 in the third when he led off with a double down the left field line, moved to third on a groundout and scored on Vierling’s sacrifice fly to center.
Hurter, who came on in the second to replace Montero, gave up five hits in 3 1 1/3 innings, including back-to-back singles to Brayan Rocchio and Steve Kwan with one out in the fifth. He was replaced by Brieske, who closed out the inning with a strikeout of David Fry and a flyout by Jose Ramirez.
Torkelson snapped an 0-for-14 postseason slump by blasting a double to the left field corner in the bottom of sixth off Tim Herrin, scoring Colt Keith from second and giving the Tigers a 3-0 lead.
The Guardians used seven pitchers who allowed five hits. Alex Cobb (0-1), making his first start since Sept. 1, gave up three hits and two runs over three innings. He had been on the injured list with a blister on his right middle finger that ended his regular season. He was followed by Erik Sabrowski, Tim Herrin, Eli Morgan, Cade Smith, Andrew Walters and Joey Cantillo, who combined to allow one run on two hits.
The game drew 44,885 fans, setting a Comerica Park postseason attendance record.
–Bob Tripi, Field Level Media