Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians Face Off in Vital Game 3 at Comerica Park

The Detroit Tigers are set to face the Cleveland Guardians in a critical Game 3 of their best-of-five playoff series at Comerica Park, marking the first playoff game at the venue in a decade. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch has been strategic in his choice of starting pitcher, opting not to disclose much information beforehand. However, it has been confirmed that rookie right-hander Keider Montero will start for the Tigers. This comes after left-hander Tarik Skubal and right-hander Reese Olson were ruled out of contention for the role.

In contrast, the Guardians will be sending out seasoned right-hander Alex Cobb, a pitcher with past postseason experience dating back to 2013 with the Tampa Bay Rays. Cobb’s current season, however, has been marred by injuries, including a blister on his pitching hand, limiting him to just three starts.

Early in the matchup, Tigers pitcher Brant Hurter, stepping in after Montero, faced a challenge from the Guardians. Despite giving up singles to Brayan Rocchio and Steven Kwan, Hurter managed to maintain the lead by striking out David Fry and assisting in grounding out other batters.

For the Tigers, Parker Meadows started strong, registering a leadoff single to continue his remarkable streak of hits in consecutive postseason games, a feat not achieved by a Tiger since Al Kaline. The team’s scoring advanced with a sacrifice fly from Matt Vierling, bringing the score to 2-0 in favor of the home team.

A noteworthy moment occurred when Detroit’s Trey Sweeney reached base, setting up the opportunity for Kerry Carpenter‘s impressive 423-foot home run. Sweeney joined the Tigers as part of the trade involving Jack Flaherty.

The atmosphere at Comerica Park is electric, as fans eagerly return for the first playoff event since October 5, 2014. The Tigers aim to leverage this home advantage as they seek their first postseason victory at Comerica since October 16, 2013, during the American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox.