By Larry Arreguin| LPL News Wire| May 20, 2026

DETROIT, MI (5-20-26) — The Detroit Tigers were one strike away from forcing a much-needed victory Wednesday night at Comerica Park, but the Cleveland Guardians rallied late and escaped with a 3-2 extra-inning win, pushing Detroit to the brink of a four-game sweep.

Detroit leaned heavily on a strong night from its pitching staff, led by starter Drew Anderson, who worked 4.2 scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and striking out seven. Relievers Kyle Finnegan, Brenan Hanifee and Kenley Jansen kept Cleveland quiet through eight innings as the Tigers carried a 1-0 lead into the ninth.

The Tigers finally broke through in the seventh inning when Matt Vierling (#8) lifted a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Kevin McGonigle (#87) for the game’s first run.

Detroit’s offense struggled to generate consistent pressure against Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee, who tossed eight innings of four-hit baseball with five strikeouts. Still, the Tigers appeared positioned to salvage at least one victory in the series before the Guardians spoiled the evening late.

Cleveland tied the game in the ninth after Patrick Bailey grounded out to second base, allowing Daniel Schneemann to score and force extra innings.

In the 10th, Angel Martínez delivered the decisive blow with an RBI triple to right field off Tyler Holton (#87), plating Brayan Rocchio. José Ramírez followed with an RBI double to center, extending Cleveland’s lead to 3-1.

Detroit refused to go quietly in the bottom half of the inning. Wenceel Pérez (#46) scored on a Zach McKinstry (#39) single to right field, trimming the deficit to one and bringing the tying run aboard. However, Cleveland closer Cade Smith shut the door to secure his 16th save.

Despite the loss, Detroit’s bullpen largely held firm, combining for 11 strikeouts while allowing only two earned runs across 10 innings. McKinstry led the Tigers offensively with two hits and an RBI, while Riley Greene (#31) and Hao-Yu Lee (#6) added hits.

The Tigers now face a critical finale Thursday afternoon as they attempt to avoid a four-game sweep at the hands of their division rivals. Detroit will need both timely hitting and another strong pitching performance to prevent Cleveland from completing the series domination at Comerica Park.