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Kerry Carpenter smashes HR to lift Tigers past Guardians 3-0 in Game 2

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Kerry Carpenter smashes HR to lift Tigers past Guardians 3-0 in Game 2

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CLEVELAND – Tie – hold your breath, something magical is about to happen.

Two outs. Two on. And Kerry Carpenter faced MLB standout pitcher Emmanuel Clase, pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians.

That was the game. Maybe the series.

But Carpenter turned on a slider and smashed it 423 feet to right field. No, he demolished it when he hit a three-run home run to give the Detroit Tigers a dramatic 3-0 win in Game 2 of the ALDS at Progressive Field on Monday afternoon.

What an end to a great game.

Because this one had everything.

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An amazing double play from the Tigers rookies.

A controversial diving catch by Cleveland left fielder Steven Kwan. Wait, was there a catch? Yes? NO? It doesn't seem to matter anymore.

But above all, it had a sensational pitch.

The enthusiastic Tarik Skubal was simply brilliant, pitching seven scoreless innings, striking out eight and giving up three hits. He pitched a perfect game in the fifth inning and has now pitched 13 scoreless innings in his first two postseason starts, putting him in historic MLB company.

And when he left the mound and reached the dugout, he received both a handshake and a hug from manager AJ Hinch.

But Cleveland's pitchers were just as effective. Matthew Boyd, the former Tiger, pitched 4⅔ innings and had five strikeouts, setting up the drama. Then the Guardians bullpen was fantastic.

Until Carpenter worked his magic.

The Tigers and Guardians have an off day on Tuesday before Game 3 at Comerica Park in Detroit on Wednesday (3:08 p.m., TBS). Game 4 is Thursday evening. A possible Game 5 is Saturday in Cleveland.

Tarik Skubal's almost perfect start

By the middle of the fifth inning, Skubal was just perfect, striking out 13 straight runs. No hits. No walks. No runs. He was in complete control, dominating the guards and doing almost anything he wanted.

But he made a big mistake against Josh Naylor by letting a fastball go over the middle of the plate, and Naylor promptly doubled and scored Cleveland's first hit.

Then things got worse when Skubal hit Jhonkensy Noel in the hand and the Guardians had guys on first and second with one out each. But Andrés Giménez managed to put an end to the danger with a 4-6-3 double play.

At the end of the sixth round, Skubal faced another problem.

Brayan Rocchio hit a double to left and Steven Kwan found a hole on the left side of the infield.

But Riley Greene got to work quickly in left field and Rocchio stopped at third. That left the runners in first and third place, with David Fry in the lead and José Ramírez on deck.

After a mound visit from pitching coach Chris Fetter, Skubal got Fry to ground out to shortstop.

Trey Sweeney handled it perfectly and fed Colt Keith, and the two rookies converted another double play.

Skubal descended from the hill and waved to the crowd as if to say: Bring it, baby. Scream louder. I dare you.

Skubal was always a competitor and exuded emotion and confidence.

He walked to the dugout with a smile on his face, praising Jake Rogers, the Tigers' secret cog, and glancing out at the crowd. Smiling. And nodded his head.

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The Tigers missed their chances

With Skubal on the mound, especially when he looks dominant, you start to think: Man, the Tigers just need one run to win this.

And in the fourth inning they had a great chance. Wenceel Pérez doubled to left and got to third base on a fly ball from Spencer Torkelson. That gave Parker Meadows one out. But Boyd struck out Meadows with a slider and also struck out Rogers.

The Tigers had another chance in the eighth inning. Matt Vierling doubled and Greene was intentionally passed over. And Cleveland brought in Clase to face Pérez.

Perez hit a line drive to left field and Steven Kwan had a diving, sliding catch.

Or is it?

Even Cleveland radio announcers thought it was a hit, but after a video review, the referees said it was a catch.

“The reputation of the field remains,” the referee said.

A battle of the stars

While baseball is a team sport, the individual battles can be fascinating.

And that was the case when Skubal faced Jose Ramirez.

Ramirez led the Guardians in nearly every category: hits, doubles, home runs, RBI and OPS.

And it was important for the Tigers to slow him down.

In the first inning, Skubal went with the Heat. He threw him five fastballs in a row, then changed course, threw him two changeups and struck him out.

In the fourth inning, Skubal went to the soft hitters, throwing four consecutive changeups and striking out.

Then in the seventh, Skubal mixed it all up – changeup, fastball, changeup to get him out.

Contact Jeff Seidel: [email protected]. Follow him on X @seideljeff. To read his latest columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel.

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