Detroit's Chaotic Cats are making a thriller about the Guardians

Cleveland – A powerful arm. A powerful swing. A gigantic step for the Tigers on an amazing, ambitious mission that shows no signs of failing.

Cleveland threw everything at the Tigers, all of his great bullpen arms, all of his spectacular defense. The Tigers survived it, reached it, and then surpassed it in a sizzling, lightning-quick moment. The momentum came from Kerry Carpenter, a towering three-run home run with two outs in the ninth that gave the Tigers a 3-0 victory at Progressive Field on Monday and evened the ALDS series at 1-1.

Carpenter was able to deliver the moment largely because Tarik Skubal controlled the other moments. Skubal bought the Tigers time by dominating inning after inning, striking out batters and striking confident poses. He carried it as long as he could, 0-0 into the ninth inning, and then the Chaotic Cats struck again.

A two-out single by Jake Rogers. A two-out single by Trey Sweeney. Then the blast from Carpenter, all against the best closer in baseball, Emmanuel Clase. You would swear you haven't actually seen it, other than you've been seeing similar scenes for a few months. If the Tigers have one shot left, they have a chance. And with Skubal, the presumptive Cy Young winner in the midst of a historic season, they always have a chance.

They return to Comerica Park for Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday and Thursday, the Tigers' first home playoff games in 10 years. The Cleveland crowd was loud and brash, and the Tigers responded with controlled fury. On the rare occasions when the Guardians threatened, Skubal picked off a player or the Tigers' defense faltered.

They ended the fifth and sixth innings with nifty double plays, each with shortstop Sweeney in the middle. After the last one, Skubal strutted down the hill with his arms spread wide and his fingers pointed upward, as if asking if that was all they had for him.

“I’ll be honest, I don’t know what that was,” Skubal said with a laugh. “I’ve never done that in my life.”

Hinch didn't flinch

These tigers do many things that they have never done before in their lives. They were blown out 7-0 in Game 1, and manager AJ Hinch didn't shy away. No panic, no overreaction from a newborn contender seeing the playoff world for the first time. They entered this wild environment knowing that defeat would make the task virtually insurmountable, a 2-0 deficit in the best-of-five.

But they knew they had Skubal on the mound and that they had a chance.

“It’s led by Tarik,” Hinch said. “He's as emotional as you can get at the right time and at the right volume. He can reset and do his thing. And that’s what October is made for. It's also built for October. It’s so rewarding to see our guys play calmly, play relaxed, play competitively and ultimately play like a winner.”

The Tigers were all that and more, even as they struggled against Cleveland starter Matthew Boyd, the former Tiger, followed by the majors' best bullpen. The defense on both sides was impeccable, including a diving catch at the midfield wall at the end of the eighth quarter by the Tigers' Parker Meadows. This came after an even more remarkable catch by the Guardians' Steven Kwan early in the eighth, when he intercepted a line drive by Wenceel Perez with two outs and two runners on base. Instant replay showed Kwan appearing to grab the ball a millimeter above the turf, and the umpires ruled it out.

More: Yes or no? You be the judge of Steven Kwan's catch that kept the Tigers scoreless

Was this the Tigers' only chance? As the ninth inning began, the shadows grew darker, the tension increased and Detroit's hitters were quiet again. Going back to their 2-0 series win over Houston, they reached their 36th^Th Playoff inning in which only three points were scored.

With the zeros getting higher and higher for both teams, the Tigers were still taking advantage of their chances.

“Really confident because they have a really good bullpen, but we have an equally good bullpen,” said Carpenter, who started as a pinch-hitter in the eighth. “So if it's 0-0 in the late innings, I'm really confident that our pitchers will continue to throw zeros because that's what they've done all year. They were incredible and today was no different. At some point someone was going to make a big hit, either for us or for them, and it happened to be us.”

Carpenter was the ideal candidate, the Tigers' best hitter, and his return from a back injury in August sparked the team's resurgence. Hinch's “pitching chaos” also includes hitting chaos and pulling and inserting hitters to create favorable right-left matchups.

Zimmermann knocks Clase down

In fact, Carpenter, a left-hander, faced Clase, a right-hander. Clase had given up two home runs all season and never gave up one in the postseason. He came on in the eighth, so the game lasted longer than normal, but the Guardians had no doubts about it.

“Emmanuel has been locked in all year,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “He was almost perfect, and he’s human too. You have the best pitcher (Clase) in the world on the mound. You're going to put him up against every batsman. Again, Carpenter is a phenomenal hitter. He got a bug slider and he didn't miss it. You have to take your hat off.”

It will now go from tipping your hat to grinding your teeth very quickly. Skubal will be available if needed for the start of Game 5 in Cleveland on Saturday. If the Tigers get there after a few more games of “pitching chaos,” as Hinch calls it, they’ll have to enjoy their chances.

In his seven innings on Monday, Skubal allowed three hits, no walks and struck out eight. Will Vest pitched a scoreless eighth and Beau Brieske finished ninth. Skubal provides the 100 mph fastball fuel, and the rest of the Tigers jump on board to come along for the ride.

“I mean, I can’t say enough about Skubal,” Carpenter said. “He's unbelievable and the way he fires up our team and the way he goes out there and executes, gets ground balls when he needs to and gets strikeouts when he needs to. He’s fun to watch and I’m glad he’s on my team and my leader.”

Skubal was there for most of Monday and Carpenter was there at the end, both in the right place at the right time. They did what they did, letting their emotions fuel them rather than hinder them.

Carpenter said he blacked out for a second after the home run and didn't remember much about how he rounded the bases. Skubal screamed and made newfound gestures during the game as he threw punch after punch. The Tigers continue to find new ways to win and new ways to express themselves.

“I don’t really know where I was mentally in those situations,” Skubal said. “But I probably shouldn’t say bad words while cameras are on me and kids are watching. It was just pure emotion. It was incredible to play in that environment, hostile, all that stuff that as a kid you dream about playing and pitching in front of.”

This environment will benefit the Tigers at sold-out Comerica Park and should be loud and captivating. Give the Chaotic Cats a chance, and they plan to take advantage, one arm and one swing at a time.

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@bobwojnowski

Chris McCosky asks Kerry Carpenter about his dramatic ninth-inning HR in Game 2.

Detroit's Chaotic Cats are making a thriller about the Guardians

ByVanessa

Hinch didn't flinch

Zimmermann knocks Clase down

By Vanessa

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