Detroit — Off the schneid.
The Tigers finally got that ugly zero off their ledger against the Cleveland Guardians, beating them Tuesday night, 6-4, before a crowd of 30,709 at Comerica Park.
Rookie Kevin McGonigle knocked in three runs with a double and single, helping the Tigers not only end a six-game skid against Cleveland, but move another step closer in both the American League Central Division and wild-card races.
At game’s end, they had moved a half-step ahead of the Twins and into second place behind the Chicago White Sox in the division and one game behind the third wild-card spot. And, at 59-60 after winning eight of their last 10, the Tigers are just about back to .500, a place they haven’t been since May 4.
The one downer on the night for the Tigers, All-Star Riley Greene left the game in the second inning with right hamstring tightness.
Two of the losses to the Guardians this season were at the hands of right-hander Tanner Bibee, who bullied the Tigers twice using a heavy dose of his three fastballs (four-seamer, sinker and cutter).
BOX SCORE: Tigers 6, Guardians 4
On Tuesday, he altered his attack plan, almost pitching backwards. He leaned on his changeup and curveball to set up his fastballs. The strategy worked until it didn’t.
The Tigers made an adjustment to the new pitch plan in the fifth inning and scored three runs to break a 1-1 tie.
The kids started the fire.
Rookie Max Clark singled with one out and went to second on a single by Javier Báez. With two outs, McGonigle, who struck out on a Bibee changeup in the third inning, lashed a changeup this time, hitting it off the chalk line in right field for a two-run double.
Gleyber Torres capped the rally with an RBI single.
Tigers starter Drew Anderson, who was making his second start since joining the rotation and is still building his pitch count, gave up a solo homer to Chase DeLauter in his four innings.
Right-hander Jacob Waguespack held the Guardians at bay in the fifth and sixth before the Guardians scratched an unearned run against lefty Drew Sommers in the seventh.
The Tigers answered with two more in the bottom of the seventh, taking advantage of a pair of walks and an error by third baseman Jose Ramirez on a double-steal. Báez and Zach McKinstry executed a double-steal and Báez scored when Ramirez couldn’t handle the throw to third.
McGonigle, who also made two sterling defensive plays at third base, singled in the second run.
Kenley Jansen made it interesting in the ninth, loading the bases with two walks and a single. He gave up a sacrifice fly to Jo Adell, who had homered off Kyle Finnegan in the eighth. But, with the tying runs on third and second, Jansen got Travis Bazzana to bounce out, earning his 14th save this season and 490th of this career.
Through the first four innings, Bibee doubled his seasonal usage of the changeup (27% vs. his season norm of 14%). It was effective, too. He had the Tigers consistently hitting balls off their front foot, weak fly balls and pop-ups.
With one notable exception. Spencer Torkelson drove a curveball into the left-center gap in the second inning, scoring Greene from first.
Greene had reached when Bibee hit him in the right knee with a 92-mph sinker. He went down in pain but he waved off the Tigers’ training staff and hustle-jogged to first base.
He certainly seemed OK racing around the bases on Torkelson’s double. But between innings, he was replaced in left field by Ben Malgeri.
The knee was OK, but Greene felt tightness in his right hamstring as he dashed around the bases and was pulled and sent for further evaluation.
This story will be updated.
chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com
@cmccosky
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Tigers break through, beat Guardians for first time this season
Reporting by Chris McCosky, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Chris McCosky, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
