CLEVELAND — It all comes down to this.
The Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers are set for Game 5 of the American League Division Series (ALDS) on Saturday night. Both teams come into the game vying for a spot in the American League Championship Series (ALCS) against the New York Yankees.
Saturday's winner-take-all ALDS showdown at Progressive Field comes after the Guardians held off elimination with a 5-4 victory over the Tigers in the Motor City on Thursday night.
What follows is everything you need to know about the Game 5 matchup:
GAME INFO, HOW TO WATCH ON TV, STREAM, BETTING LINE
- Time: 1:08 p.m.
- Location: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio
- TV channel: TBS
- Streaming: Max
- Radio: WTAM 1100, WMMS 100.7, Guardians Radio Network, ESPN Radio, WARF 1350
- Moneyline: Tigers -125 / Guardians +105
- Run line: 1.5
- Total: 6
- Tickets can be purchased HERE
PROBABLE PITCHERS
- Detroit Tigers: LHP Tarik Skubal (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 14 Ks)
- Cleveland Guardians: LHP Matthew Boyd (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 5 Ks)
ALDS SCHEDULE
- Saturday, Oct. 5: Game 1 in Cleveland, Guardians win 7-0
- Monday, Oct. 7: Game 2 in Cleveland, Tigers win 3-0
- Wednesday, Oct. 9: Game 3, in Detroit, Tigers win 3-0
- Thursday, Oct. 10: Game 4, in Detroit, Guardians win 5-4
- Saturday, Oct. 12: Game 5, in Cleveland, 1:08 p.m.
PREVIEW
With both teams one win away from advancing to the next round of the MLB Postseason, the ALCS, Saturday's game will be nothing short of a dogfight.
Despite playing at home, the Guardians will have no easy path to victory as AL Cy Young Award favorite Skubal takes the mound again for the Tigers. During the 2024 MLB Postseason, the 27-year-old ace has not given up a run through 13 innings pitched, with an overall scoreless streak of 24 1/3 innings dating back to the regular season.
On Wednesday, the Guardians seemed lifeless against Skubal in Game 2, as Cleveland only tallied three hits in seven innings of work.
However, this Guardians team proved resilient on Thursday night, ending a streak of 11 losses in postseason elimination games dating back to 1997. They now look to snap a similar cold spell of eight straight defeats in winner-take-all showdowns, with their only win coming in Game 5 of the '97 ALDS against the New York Yankees.
The Guardians will need to get off to a fast start on Saturday. It is crucial their stars hit early and often, as well as more reassurance from the rest of the roster.
So far, the offensive stars of the postseason have been Steven Kwan, David Fry and Lane Thomas. Kwan comes into Saturday's game with a .500 batting average this postseason, tallying eight hits in 16 at-bats.
In addition, Fry has made a name for himself this postseason by stepping up in crucial ways, including his two-out, two-run, pinch-hit homer in the seventh inning of Game 4, which proved to be the decider in the Guards' victory. Finally, right fielder Thomas was the star of the show in Game 1 and had four hits and four RBIs in this postseason.
For the Guardians, left-hander Matthew Boyd has been confirmed as the starter for Saturday. The former Tiger signed with Cleveland in June while recovering from Tommy John surgery and proceeded to go 2-2 with a 2.72 ERA across eight regular-season starts, averaging 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings. The 33-year-old tossed 4 2/3 shutout frames in Game 2, keeping the Guards in it against Skubal.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Guardians/Tigers series winner will take on the Yankees in the American League Championship Series. The best-of-seven ALCS will begin Monday, with New York hosting Game 1.