McGonigle Goes Off: Tigers Finally Slay Guardians in AL Central Showdown

DETROIT — The hex is broken. The Tigers walked into Tuesday night having lost all six meetings with Cleveland this season, but Kevin McGonigle said enough is enough.

McGonigle drove in three runs, Drew Anderson dealt four gritty innings of one-run ball, and Detroit finally punched back with a 6-4 victory over the Guardians at Comerica Park.

Early Exchanges

Spencer Torkelson got the scoring started with a second-inning double, but Cleveland answered fast. Chase DeLauter crushed his 13th homer of the year — a 424-foot bomb off a low-and-inside curveball that cleared the right-center wall — and just like that, it was knotted at 1.

The Guardians couldn't keep the momentum. McGonigle ripped a two-run double in the fifth to put Detroit ahead for good, and Gleyber Torres followed with an RBI single to stretch the lead.

Battle of the Bullpens

José Ramírez tried to will Cleveland back, grounding out in the seventh but still bringing Steven Kwan home to cut it to 4-2. That was as close as it got.

Detroit answered right back in the bottom half. Javier Báez stole third, the throw went astray, and he sauntered home for an unearned run. Then McGonigle delivered an RBI single on the very next pitch, making it 6-2 and suddenly the Tigers were in cruise control.

Jo Adell launched a monster 428-foot blast in the eighth to give Cleveland a pulse, but that was all they could muster. Kenley Jansen locked it down — despite surrendering a run in the ninth — to earn his 14th save.

Pitching Report

Jacob Waguespack (1-1) cleaned up beautifully with two scoreless innings of relief to snag the win. On the other side, Tanner Bibee (4-12) gutted through 6 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on five hits while striking out four. DeLauter finished 3-for-5 in a losing effort.

What's Next

The Tigers have finally beaten the Guardians, and now they sit 1.5 games clear of Cleveland in the AL Central. These two run it back Wednesday with Foster Griffin (12-4, 3.31 ERA) squaring off against Framber Valdez (7-7, 4.17).