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Nothing has come easy this season for the Detroit Tigers.
From an odds-defying run to end the season and make the playoffs, the Tigers will now have to win on the road if the team hopes to reach the American League Championship Series.
The Tigers watched a one-run lead slip away late and a late rally fall short in a 5-4 loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday before a playoff record crowd f 44,923 at Comerica Park.
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With it, the best-of-five series heads back to Cleveland on Saturday tied at 2-2 for a deciding game. The winner will play the New York Yankees, who eliminated Kansas City on Thursday, in the ALCS.
“What an incredible game,” Tigers’ manager A.J. Hinch said in his post-game interview. “A lot of big-time performances on both sides and a hard-fought game. I expect nothing less from these two teams playing for a chance to advance.
“These are exactly how the games have gone the entire season against these guys. They put up a really good fight. Got some big swings, some big pitches, we did the same and now it ends in a Game 5.”
After winning with six relievers in Game 3, the Tigers opted for a traditional starter for Game 4 with right-hander Reese Olson getting the call. Cleveland tagged him for a run in the first inning to snap a 20-inning shutout string. However, shortstop Trey Sweeney’s sacrifice fly had Detroit even at 1-1 after two innings.
Jose Ramirez homered to put the Guardians up 2-1 in the top of the fifth inning, but Zach McKinstry countered with an opposite-field solo homer in the bottom of the inning to tie the game at 2-2.
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Hinch has been like a chess master in this run to the playoffs and seemingly making all the right moves.
Pinch hitting for Spencer Torkelson in the sixth inning, Wenceel Perez delivered an RBI single that scored Kerry Carpenter.
However, Carpenter, whose three-run homer carried to team to victory in Game 2, limped across the plate to make it 3-2 and was eventually pulled from the lineup.
“He’s going to get some tests on his left hamstring,” Hinch said. “He came around third, I think we all saw him start limping back to the dugout, and he couldn’t go any further.
“We’ve got to get him looked at and any time a player like him has to leave the game, it’s concerning, but I’m going to hold off any thoughts until the doctors give me an update and he gets imagining and all the things that we need to do prior to Saturday.”
And while the move to Perez worked, Hinch wasn’t as fortunate with his relief choices.
With two on and two out in the seventh inning, Hinch brought in right-hander Beau Brieske to replace left-hander Sean Gunther after the Guardians announced right-handed hitting David Fry as a pinch hitter.
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Brieske had been lights out in the playoffs, but Fry connected for a two-run homer to put the Guardians up for good.
“These are elite players at the highest level that you can play,” Hinch said. “It’s a competition and it’s incredible to watch these guys continue to fight. You make a small mistake or a hittable pitch. We were a couple of pitches away from getting them to pop up.”
The Guardians got an insurance run in the ninth inning. Rookie Jackson Jobe put two men on, but Fry put down a perfect safety squeeze bunt off right-hander Will Vest to make it 5-3 Cleveland.
Detroit’s Justin-Henry Malloy doubled and scored in the ninth, but the comeback fell short for the Tigers, who will turn to ace left-hander Tarik Skubal on Saturday.
“It’s always comforting to have Tarik Skubal on the mound,” Hinch said. “We’ll be ready. There’s going to be nothing better. These eliminations games are incredible. Everything that we’ve been playing for us to this point is going to be on Saturday.
“Our guys will be able to reset and get the opportunity to play on their turf. I expect them to show up ready to play, too. Why wouldn’t these two teams come with everything they’ve got on Saturday.”
jpparker@postmedia.com
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