CLEVELAND – From the very first time the Detroit Tigers deployed an opener ahead of a bulk-innings reliever, manager AJ Hinch warned, it’s not always going to be perfect.

It picked a bad time to be critically imperfect.

The Cleveland Guardians capsized the strategy Saturday with a five-run barrage in the first inning and seized control of this best-of-five division series with a 7-0 win in Game 1 before a sellout crowd (33,548) at Progressive Field.

It was just the second time since Sept. 1 that an opponent scored on a Tigers’ opener.

Lefty Tyler Holton, who gave up two runs in a 7-2 loss at Baltimore on Sept. 21 – two of the four runs he’d allowed in three months – faced four batters Saturday and didn’t record an out.

Lefty-swinging Steven Kwan lined a 1-0 sinker off the right field wall for a double and David Fry walked. Perennial All-Star and Tiger-slayer Jose Ramirez, after getting a favorable ball call on a 2-2 pitch at the bottom of the zone, hit a bouncing ball behind third base that got by Zach McKinstry.

Kwan scored on the error and Fry scored on a softly-struck single through a drawn-in infield by Josh Naylor.

Manager AJ Hinch went immediately to right-hander Reese Olson. It was his first relief appearance of the season and he hadn’t entered a game in mid-inning since July of 2023.

His first pitch, a hanging slider, was slammed into the left field bleachers by Lane Thomas. The three-run homer put the Tigers in a 5-0 hole.

Olson quickly settled in. He ended up pitching five innings, allowing just one other hit with four strikeouts.

But the hole was too deep.

The Tigers stressed Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee in a 27-pitch first inning, but Colt Keith’s bullet liner was right at left fielder Kwan, stranding two runners.

Bibee came back out for the second pitching free and easy with a five-run cushion. He cruised into the fifth inning, striking out six. He turned the game over to the Guardians’ vaunted bullpen with two outs in the fifth.

The Guardians were 71-2 in the regular season when leading after six innings. Daunting task for the Tigers.

Right-hander Cade Smith struck out all four batters he faced and the Tigers ended up not getting a hit off four Cleveland relievers. Lefty Tim Herrin, right-hander Hunter Gaddis and All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase finished off the shutout.

All told, Tigers’ hitters struck out 13 times.

The Guardians tacked on two more runs in the sixth against rookie right-hander Ty Madden. He created his own mess with a pair of walks, one with two outs to Kwan. Fry made him pay with a two-run double into the corner in left.

A positive note for the Tigers going forward, rookie Keider Montero, who was not on the roster for the wild-card Series, struck out three in two impressive innings.

One potential saving grace for the Tigers: They will have presumptive Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal on the mound to start Game 2 on Monday.

____

©2024 The Detroit News. Visit detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.