CLEVELAND, Ohio — It ended under blue skies and in the fading October sunshine. It ended because what the Guardians have always been in this improbable season was brought to light once again.
The Guardians are offensively challenged. They ended the regular season with the lowest team batting average in franchise history at .226, and when they don’t pitch well, that offense is exposed.
The Guardians did not pitch well Thursday and the offense was once against mostly silent as the Tigers won the winner-take-all third and final AL wild card game, 6-3, at Progressive Field.
The Tigers travel to Seattle to take on the Mariners in the ALDS starting Sunday. The Guardians are headed home after a remarkable season of hot and cold streaks that saw them author the biggest comeback in MLB history only to fall short once moreof winning their first World Series since 1948
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The Guardians were held to one run through the first seven innings before they recaptured some Guards’ ball magic in the eighth. After Brayan Rocchio singled and went to third on Steven Kwan’s double, Jose Ramirez sent a grounder to second. Closer Will Vest dropped the throw as he cover first as Rocchio and Kwan scored. Ramirez, however, was thrown out as he tried to take second base to end the inning.
It was the last bit of magic the Guardians could squeeze out of this season.
The Guardians hit .177 (16 for 90) in the three games. They outscored the Tigers, 10-9.
Cleveland, 15 1/2 games behind Detoit in early July, caught and passed the Tigers to win the AL Central on the final day of the regular seeason. It was the biggest comeback in MLB history, but it’s the Tigers moving on and the Guardians who are headed home.
The Tigers took control of the game in the sixth and seventh innings. It started with Dillon Dingler’s two-out homer off Joey Cantillo (0-1) to take a 2-1 lead in the sixth.
In Game 2, a replay challenge by the Guardians took a run that appeared to be scored by Dingler in the fourth inning off the board. There was nothing the Guardians could challenge about Dingler’s drive into the left field bleachers off Cantillo’s 1-1 pitch.
Dingler’s homer seemed to awaken a Tiger offense that went 1 for 15 with runners in scoring position in Wednesday’s 6-1 loss.
Detroit scored four runs the seventh against Erik Sabrowski and Hunter Gaddis, who were pitching for the third straight day in the series.
Baez, Detroit’s hottest hitter in the series, opened the seventh with a double off the left field wall against Sabrowski. Parker Meadows followed with a bunt single. Gaddis relieved and retired Gleyber Torres on a bouncer back to the mound, but he did not record another out.
After Kerry Carpenter was intentionally walked, Wenceel Perez doubled to right to score Baez and Meadows for a 4-1 lead. Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene followed with RBI singles to make it 6-3. Matt Festa relieved Gaddis to end the inning.
The Tigers jumped out to a 1-0 lead against Slade Cecconi in the third inning. Meadows and Torres hit consecutive singles with one out to put runners on the corners. Lefty Tim Herrin relieved to face Carpenter, who sent a hard grounder to first that deflected off C.J. Kayfus’ glove for a double to score Meadows and send Torres to third.
Herrin got the inning under control by retiring Perez and Torkelson.
The Guardians tied the score on Jose Ramirez’s RBI single off Jack Flaherty in the fourth. George Valera, one of three rookies in Cleveland’s starting lineup, doubled to right to start the inning. Ramirez singled through the middle to make it 1-1, but the promsing inning quickly disappeared.
Ramirez was thrown out trying to steal second on a quick tag by Baez at shorstop. Kyle Manzardo followed with a walk, but Chase DeLauter bounced into a double play.
Cecconi allowed one run on two hits, but was removed after 2 1/3 innings for Herrin. Flaherty lasted 4 2/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits. He struck out four and walked two.