DETROIT -- The Guardians have earned their reputation as some of baseball’s tougher hitters to strike out. The Tigers blanked them anyway, using 6 1/3 scoreless innings from Keider Montero and strong relief to support an RBI groundout from Dillon Dingler and an Eduardo Valencia solo homer for a 3-0 victory and a series win over their division rivals on Thursday afternoon at Comerica Park.
It marks the first time an MLB team has tossed a shutout without a strikeout since then-Tiger Rick Porcello blanked the A’s on four hits with just 95 pitches on July 1, 2014. It’s also just the ninth strikeout-less team shutout in the Wild Card era, according to Baseball Reference.
The victory allowed Detroit to claim the final American League Wild Card spot, at least for a time, as several other contending teams also were scheduled to play Thursday.
Not only did Montero not strike out a batter, but he induced just two whiffs in 37 swings from Cleveland hitters. Yet he allowed just three singles, two from Chase DeLauter, and a José Ramírez walk, while recording nine groundouts. Detroit’s outfield trio, including Javier Báez -- who made his first career start in left field -- covered Comerica Park’s vast gaps for five flyouts and a pair of lineouts to rookie center fielder Max Clark.
Montero became the first MLB pitcher to toss six or more scoreless innings with no strikeouts and two or fewer swing-and-misses since then-Phillie Alec Asher blanked the Nationals on Sept. 8, 2016, and the first Tiger since Porcello in his aforementioned shutout. Even without whiffs as a consideration, Montero became just the fifth Major League hurler in the past 10 years to toss six or more scoreless innings without a strikeout.
Detroit rewarded Montero with a lead in the third inning after Báez singled and came around on a Ben Malgeri hit-by-pitch, a Gleyber Torres walk and Dingler’s groundout to third. Guardians starter Parker Messick retired 13 consecutive hitters before Valencia got a hanging curveball and drove it deep to left for his fifth home run of the season.