CLEVELAND — Detroit Tigers left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez turned in a dominant performance for the sixth straight start.
The Tigers backed their best pitcher with five runs through three innings and rolled the Cleveland Guardians, 5-0, in Wednesday’s finale at Progressive Field to win the three-game series. Rodriguez, who can opt-out of his contract after the season, pitched seven scoreless innings and has a 1.57 ERA in eight starts.
In his past six starts, Rodriguez has a 0.43 ERA (two runs, 41.2 innings) with six walks and 41 strikeouts.
“I’m just thinking about throwing strikes,” Rodriguez said postgame. “On the four days before my start, I’m working in the bullpen, in the training room, in the weight room and (reading) the scouting reports on the other team. That’s what I think is going to keep me where I’m at right now, and I hope to keep doing it.”
The Tigers (17-19) went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position in Tuesday’s 2-0 loss. The offense bounced back with a 4-for-10 showing with runners in scoring position in Wednesday’s win.
EL MAGO ON FIRE: Tigers’ Javier Báez determined to continue success: ‘We can surprise everyone’
LET’S PLAY A GAME: Tigers players buying into A.J. Hinch’s chess match. It’s driving winning ways
The runs came right from the first inning.
Zach McKinstry and Javier Báez delivered back-to-back singles to put runners, and McKinstry scored on Riley Greene’s groundout for a 1-0 lead.
Andy Ibáñez increased the lead to 2-0 with a two-out double. He fell behind 0-2 in the count, but avoided swinging at pitches outside of the strike zone to work a full count, then tagged a fastball from right-hander Peyton Battenfield.
“When you have (Rodriguez) on the mound, it’s always nice,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “You feel pretty good when you get a couple runs early. We had really good at-bats and put a ton of pressure on Battenfield. And then you hand the ball to Eduardo and say, ‘Just do the rest.’ It’s good when he’s pitching.”
Battenfield allowed five runs (four earned run) on seven hits with four strikeouts in six innings. He didn’t concede a walk, but the Tigers’ selective yet aggressive approach paid off early.
CHILL AND MAKE PITCHES: Alex Lange is closing games his way and the Tigers are buying it
MIND GAME: Tigers rookie Mason Englert credits life-changing routine for success in biggest moment yet
In the third inning, the Tigers scored three more runs — thanks to three consecutive two-out hits — to take a 5-0 lead. Báez drilled a one-out double, and Spencer Torkelson drove him on a two-out single off a fastball.
Ibáñez chipped in a single to keep the pressure on. Akil Baddoo rewarded Torkelson and Ibáñez for their quality plate appearances when he hit a fastball down the first-base line into the right-field corner to score both.
McKinstry, Báez and Ibáñez logged two hits apiece.
Ibáñez is hitting .314 in 12 games.
“Just being aggressive,” Greene said. “We swung the bat a lot in the first inning, and it was good to get guys in scoring position. We just had team at-bats, just getting it to the next guy, that’s really the goal on our team. Just pass the baton, grind out at-bats, grind out the starter and make things happen.”
Making it look easy
Rodriguez, in another scoreless effort, gave up four hits and two walks across seven innings.
The four hits didn’t faze him. The first three hits were infield singles, including two plays McKinstry could have made at second base, while the fourth hit was a bloop single into the outfield in the sixth inning.
“He’s incredible,” Greene said. “He’s not missing his spots. When he’s on the mound, it’s just a different presence there. … All of our pitches have been doing really good. Credit to them, credit to the bullpen. They’ve been digging deep and getting it done.”
WELCOME BACK: Tigers’ Alex Faedo aims to ‘challenge hitters’ with strikes in return to rotation
ACE-LIKE: Eduardo Rodriguez has a 0.52 ERA in past five starts for the Tigers. He’s still not satisfied
The two walks, however, nearly came back to haunt him. After back-to-back outs in the fourth inning, Rodriguez walked Josh Bell and David Fry, then gave up Tyler Freeman’s infield single.
But Rodriguez struck out Mike Zunino with a 94 mph fastball on the inside part of the plate to escape the jam.
“That’s the only way that they can really get multiple runners to score,” Hinch said. “It’s going to be hard to chip away against Eduardo with the way he’s throwing, so the big at-bat was important to winning.”
Rodriguez, who tossed 67 of 99 pitches for strikes, threw 50 fastballs, 23 cutters, 21 changeups and five sinkers. He generated 14 whiffs on six fastballs, three cutters and five changeups. He also recorded 19 called strikes.
With six starts, Rodriguez tied Michael Fulmer and Al Benton for the Tigers’ second-longest streak of allowing one run or fewer and pitching at least five innings. Justin Verlander owns the mark with seven starts.
“For me, I’m going to keep going out there and putting up zeros,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t think about how many games I’ve been pitching good. It’s just go out there, keep doing it and get guys out. That’s it.”
After E-Rod
Right-hander Jason Foley retired the three batters he faced in the eighth inning: Steven Kwan (lineout), Amed Rosario (strikeout) and José Ramírez (groundout). He only needed 14 pitches — 12 sinkers — to shut down Cleveland’s three best hitters.
Left-hander Chasen Shreve tossed a scoreless ninth. He walked Bell but retired Fry, Freeman and Will Brennan to complete the Tigers’ 15th win in their past 25 games. The Tigers have won six of their past eight series.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.