Game 5 of the American League division series pits division rivals against one another as the Detroit Tigers face the Cleveland Guardians.
And the stakes couldn't be any higher. The winner will move on; the loser goes home.
Despite being away from home for the elimination game, the Tigers find themselves in a comfortable spot. Tarik Skubal, their left-handed starting pitcher and the likely AL Cy Young Award winner, will take the mound five days after limiting the Guardians to three hits in seven scoreless innings.
After finally snapping a skid of 20 consecutive innings without a run, the Guardians avoided elimination Thursday with a 5-4 win in Detroit. David Fry played hero with a two-out, two-run homer in the seventh inning to wipe away a one-run deficit. Fry later executed a suicide squeeze that scored Brayan Rocchio with an important insurance run.
The winner of Saturday's game will advance to the AL championship series against the New York Yankees, who eliminated the Kansas City Royals in four games in their ALDS.
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The Detroit Tigers are favorites to defeat the Cleveland Guardians in Saturday's ALDS Game 5, according to the BetMGM MLB odds. Looking to wager? Check out the top betting apps in 2024 offering the top betting promos and bonuses.
Tarik Skubal will get the start for Detroit. The left-hander went 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts in 192 regular-season innings. This will be Skubal’s third postseason start of 2024, and he has yet to allow a run in 13 innings with 14 strikeouts and just one walk. He muzzled the Guardians in Game 2 of the ALDS, pitching seven innings and allowing three hits with eight strikeouts. He set down the first 13 batters he faced.
Cleveland will go with Matthew Boyd, who only made eight starts during the regular season but shined. After missing more than a year due to injury, Boyd returned to the mound in August and compiled a 2-2 record with a 2.72 ERA in 39 2/3 innings with the Guardians. He opposed his friend and former Tigers teammate Tarik Skubal in Game 2 of the ALDS and held Detroit scoreless in 4 2/3 innings with five strikeouts.
According to AccuWeather, gametime temperatures will be in the low-to-mid 60s with partly sunny skies in downtown Cleveland. Rain is in the forecast, but not until around 6 p.m. ET.
The Guardians announced Friday, in conjunction with Major League Baseball, that first pitch for Game 5 at Progressive Field in Cleveland has been moved up to 1:08 p.m. ET due to impending inclement weather expected in the area by Saturday evening. The forecast for Cleveland calls for showers beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday and continuing into Sunday, according to The Weather Channel. The elimination game was originally slated to begin at 8:08 p.m. ET. — Mark Giannotto
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