The Cleveland Guardians won their second consecutive one-run game against the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday.
Tanner Bibee and the bullpen were the stars of the night in the 2-1 affair, which helped the Guardians maintain a five-game lead in the AL Central.
Game over. #Guardians outlast the Tigers 2-1 at Progressive Field.
Cleveland improves to 61-40 on the season. Still in first place with a 5-game lead in the AL Central Division.
— Nick Camino (@NickCaminoWKYC) July 25, 2024
The Tigers actually scored first, in the top of the first inning, against Bibee thanks to a home run by Matt Vierling.
But if Cleveland has shown us something this year, it’s their resilience.
They have fallen behind dozens of times, and more often than not, they have remained calm and fought for victory with patience and determination.
That’s exactly what happened on Wednesday: far from crumbling, Bibee remained steady and gave Cleveland five strong innings of just the one run, after he was forced out of the game.
Then, it was “showtime” for the best bullpen in the league: Scott Barlow tossed 1.1 perfect frames with a strikeout, Tim Herrin retired two hitters and left his ERA at an impressive 1.34, Hunter Gaddis contributed another perfect inning with three strikeouts, and closer Emmanuel Clase notched his 31st save of the year with a clean ninth.
The Guardians had tied the game in the bottom of the fifth with a run-scoring single by Steven Kwan that plated Bo Naylor.
They took command of the game in the eighth, when Josh Naylor drove in his brother with a single.
The two teams will take the field for the series finale in an afternoon affair on Thursday.
The Tigers will try to avoid the series loss, while the Guardians will want to take the four-game set with a win.
NEXT: Guardians Set Debut Date For No. 1 Pick
