Brilliant Bibee picks up second straight win as Guardians beat Tigers

CLEVELAND -- The final pitch that Tanner Bibee delivered on Friday was a sinker that Spencer Torkelson hit over the center-field wall at Progressive Field. And yet, after manager Stephen Vogt signaled to his bullpen, the right-hander received a deserved standing ovation from the Cleveland faithful while he walked off the mound.

Bibee was stellar and led the Guardians to a 3-2 win over the Tigers on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series between the AL Central rivals. Over seven-plus innings, he allowed just two runs on two hits and two walks with eight strikeouts.

Both hits were solo home runs. James Outman led off the top of the third inning by hitting a blast to right field.

“That's really a game you wish you added on more runs to let him keep going, but Tanner did his job and then some,” Vogt said. “That was unbelievable.”

Bibee and the Guardians have continually (and understandably) downplayed the significance of wins this season, given how much of that metric is out of a hurler’s control. The right-hander has been the poster child for that argument this year, as he went winless through May amid some poor luck and poor run support.

Entering Friday, only the Phillies’ Andrew Painter had fewer runs of support each game (2.4) than Bibee (2.7) among pitchers who have made 10-plus starts. The Guardians’ Opening Day starter previously became the first pitcher in Cleveland franchise history to go winless through his first 13 starts in a season.

Bibee snapped that streak on Saturday in Texas, and has now opened June 2-0. On Friday, he threw just 91 pitches (61 strikes), while some guidance from catcher Patrick Bailey appeared to prove key.

“Pat's whole thing in-between every inning is just telling me, ‘Three or less, three or less,” Bibee said of throwing three or fewer pitches per plate appearance. “When you're in the zone, you're ahead, usually good things happen.”

Bibee retired 12 of 25 batters he faced on Friday on three or fewer pitches. He threw an average of 3.64 pitches per plate appearance, his third-lowest in a start this season. His fewest was against Texas (3.22), when he retired 16 of 27 batters faced on three or fewer pitches.

“It’s a conviction that his stuff is good enough to throw strikes, which we’ve seen in the last two outings,” Bailey said. “Three pitches or less gets him six, seven [innings]. It'll be nine here shortly. That’s who he is. That's a big-time pitcher.”

Bibee issued consecutive walks to Gleyber Torres and Riley Greene in the first inning. He ended the threat by striking out Dillon Dingler and Kerry Carpenter. Outman’s home run got Detroit on the board in the third, but the Tigers logged just one other baserunner before Torkelson’s homer in the eighth.

Rhys Hoskins picked up a throwing error trying to lead Bibee to first base after fielding a Zach McKinstry ground ball, though Bibee promptly picked McKinstry off. The Guardians’ defense had an otherwise great night.

Brayan Rocchio made an impressive snag on a Colt Keith pop fly in shallow left-center field in the second. Travis Bazzana retired Greene in the third after making a diving stop on a ground ball. Chase DeLauter made a sliding catch on a Dingler shallow fly ball in the fourth, among other plays.

The Guardians went 1-6 over their previous seven games while struggling offensively, including with runners in scoring position. Bibee got just enough run support on Friday.

Hoskins led off the bottom of the second with a double and scored on a two-out RBI single by Bailey -- who scored on a Rocchio triple. Angel Martínez hit a one-out double in the sixth. He scored on an RBI single by Steven Kwan, who went 2-for-4.

Bibee had an interesting pitch mix Friday. His sinker usage (43 percent) was well above its season average (19 percent). His cutter (21 percent) and four-seamer (18 percent) both were lower than their season averages (26 and 24 percent, respectively).

Bibee said his sinker felt good in the first inning and generated some uncomfortable-looking swings, so he rolled with it. He got five whiffs on it (on 22 swings), tied for his most with that pitch this season. Overall, it has been more prevalent recently; Bibee has thrown it the most over his past three starts: Friday (39), May 31 against Boston (35) and Saturday in Texas (30).

“We’re just trying to utilize his arsenal to the best of his ability,” Bailey said. “I think he's doing a really good job of attacking hitters, getting early action and a ton of weak contact. The sinker is a big part of that.”