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Guardians vs. Tigers score: Lane Thomas' grand slam off Tarik Skubal sends Cleveland to ALCS to face Yankees

The Guardians deployed eight pitchers to get the job done

The Cleveland Guardians defeated the Detroit Tigers 7-3 in ALDS Game 5, winning the best-of-five series and punching their ticket to the AL Championship Series. The Guardians will take on the New York Yankees in a best-of-seven set beginning on Monday, with the winner of that clash advancing to the 2024 World Series.

The Guardians, as expected, deployed a cavalcade of pitchers throughout Game 5. Veteran lefty Matthew Boyd officially received the start against his former team, striking out five batters in two innings of work. From there, rookie manager Stephen Vogt operated as if he was required by law to make a pitching change every five batters. To wit, here's a look at the pitchers Vogt brought in the rest of the way:

  • Cade Smith took over in the third and pitched 1 1/2 innings;
  • Erik Sabrowski recorded an out after being inserted in the fourth;
  • Andrew Walters also recorded an out (and surrendered a run on a Kerry Carpenter single) after coming in during the fifth inning;
  • Tim Herrin worked 1 1/3 innings and had a bequeathed run charged to him;
  • Hunter Gaddis experienced some turbulence by surrendering more hits (three) than outs (two) before giving way in the seventh;
  • Eli Morgan then took over, recording two outs and issuing a walk before being lifted;
  • Last, but not least, closer Emmanuel Clase closed things out with two shutout frames.

That's eight pitchers used -- a series high from a team that had deployed at least five arms in each of the previous four contests. It wasn't straightforward and it wasn't glamorous. But Vogt's own version of pitching chaos -- to borrow a phrase from Tigers manager A.J. Hinch -- got the job done. 

Of course, the Guardians' pitchers had some help, too.

Offensively, the Guardians were held in check by likely AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal until the fifth inning. In fact, the Guardians trailed 1-0 until Skubal hit José Ramírez with a pitch to force home the tying run. Then Lane Thomas struck.

Thomas, a midseason addition from the Washington Nationals, continued his highly productive series by unloading a grand slam to put the Guardians ahead by (at the time) a 5-1 margin. Thomas' grand slam was the sixth in Guardians postseason history (the first since Francisco Lindor's against the Yankees in the 2017 ALDS) and the first ever surrendered by Skubal. 

The Tigers would later cut into that deficit, with Jake Rogers and Colt Keith both delivering RBI hits. The Guardians would answer back thanks to Thomas' fifth RBI of the game.

This will be the first time the Guardians reach the ALCS since 2016. They advanced to the World Series that fall before losing to the Chicago Cubs in seven games.

The ALCS is slated to begin on Monday. The NLCS, pitting the Los Angeles Dodgers against the New York Mets, will begin on Sunday.

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Live updates
 

Guards have two on and one out with David Fry due up.

 

Two on, one out for Guardians

Steven Kwan with a line drive single to LF. David Fry and José Ramírez coming.

 

Reminder on Skubal from an All-Star slugger

He said this last time Skubal pitched, but it still applies, obviously: 
 

"Laterally challenged" makes me think of those shirts from when we were in middle school that said something like "I'm not short, I'm vertically challenged."

 

Tigers strike first

Kerry Carpenter, the hero of Game 2, just came through with a shot to the right-center wall. He is playing injured and couldn't really run, so he only got a single, but Trey Sweeney came around from first to score and it's 1-0 Tigers here in the fifth. 

Tarik Skubal is on the mound for the Tigers and looked pretty dominant again. He's thrown 57 pitches through four innings, so the Guardians will need to hope they can get him out after six. The Tigers, on the other hand, probably believe he can get through seven or maybe even eight. 

 

Replay shows that Carpenter was, well, we'll say laterally challenged with his movement to first.

 

There was question as to whether or not Kerry Carpenter would play. He just delivered a big hit to put the Tigers up 1-0 in the fifth.

 

Tim Herrin now warming, so the Guards might be moving on to pitcher No. 5 sooner than you'd expect.

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Cade Smith makes LDS history

Below you'll find a lovingly embedded social-media post that explains the exact kind of LDS history that Cade Smith has made: 
 

Carpenter comes up with a runner on

As a reminder, Kerry Carpenter hit the three-run homer in Game 2 and he is an absolute BEAST against right-handed pitchers. He's facing a righty. 

 

The Guards are once again going to the bullpen. Here's Andrew Walters, pitcher No. 4 on the afternoon. We're in the fifth.

 

The college football games that started at noon are probably at halftime. You can't beat this MLB pace.

 

Detroit's used only one starter so far. Skubal keeps it rocking with a scoreless fourth of his own.

 

My 2-1 Guardians prediction remains strongly in play. Hop aboard. 

 

There we go. We're heading into the bottom of the fourth of Game 5. Still scoreless.

 

Guardians have more action in the bulpen. Sabrowski still trying to end the fourth.

 

Another fire drill in the Guardians' bullpen. They could have just left Boyd in.

 

Guards are on their third pitcher of the day here in the fourth inning. It's rookie lefty Erik Sabrowski.

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Two-out double by Torkelson gives the Tigers a late scoring chance in the fourth.

 

Through the first three innings ... 

The Tigers and Guardians have combined to leave seven runners on base. They're also a combined 0 for 6 with RISP.

 

This error by Riley Greene almost allowed the Guardians to break through in Game 5, but Tarik Skubal wasn't having it: 
 

Guardians leave the bases loaded

File this one away in case the Tigers win. Getting two baserunners in scoring position with only one out against Skubal and failing to come through likely comes back to bite them. Obviously, it's easier said than done against a pitcher of his caliber. That Fry strikeout was ridiculous. He just dialed up 100 at the top of the zone.

 

Outstanding job by Skubal to work out of a mess that he didn't create.

 

An intentional walk to Ramírez loads the bases for Lane Thomas. 

 

and Skubal just blows David Fry away. Wow. He hits another gear when he needs to.

 

OK, it was an error. Sorry about my, um, error.

 

Riley Greene was shaded toward the left-field line and should have made that catch. The ball glanced off his glove. I think that should be ruled an error. Giving Kwan a double just doesn't tell the story there.

 

Kwan with a ball to left that glances off Greene's glove. Guardians have two in scoring position with one down.

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Guards have a runner on and the top of the lineup coming up with one out here in the third.

 

Boyd is done

The Guardians are going to Cade Smith here in the third inning. Unless they stretch all four stud relievers (Smith, Tim Herrin, Hunter Gaddis, Emmanuel Clase), they might have to dip deeper into the bullpen.

Boyd struck out five in two scoreless innings. This is certainly aggressive by Stephen Vogt (and I assume part of the gameplan he came up with alongside the front office). 

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