DETROIT -- Jeimer Candelario was supposed to be getting Sunday off in part to clear his head. Instead, he cleared the fences.

Harold Castro had started in Candelario’s place, with manager A.J. Hinch electing to play the hot bat against Guardians starter Triston McKenzie. After Castro’s third home run this week, the sweet-swinging utility infielder might be sticking in the lineup for a little while longer.

“Oh, he’ll be in there tomorrow, don’t you worry,” Hinch said after Detroit’s 2-1 win in the rubber match against Cleveland. “I may not be the smartest man, but I’m not dumb.”

One day after the Tigers produced a lone run on 10 hits, something they’d done just three other times since 2014, they produced two runs on four hits -- with both runs scoring via solo homers. Despite an early exit for rookie starter Elvin Rodriguez due to lower body cramping, Detroit’s pitching and defense made the lead stick.

It isn’t glamorous, but it’s the kind of game the Tigers need to pull out while they continue to work on igniting their offense. But compared to what Detroit did against McKenzie in their last meeting, it was an outburst.

The last time the Tigers faced McKenzie last August, Castro broke up McKenzie’s bid for a perfect game with a two-out single in the eighth inning. He was the only baserunner Detroit produced on a Sunday afternoon when McKenzie racked up 11 strikeouts over eight innings at Comerica Park.

McKenzie wasn’t on that kind of roll this time, but he wasn’t far off. He’d racked up four strikeouts in a five-batter stretch entering the fourth, with Derek Hill’s two-out single in the third the lone blemish.

Enter Castro, batting third with Miguel Cabrera out due to lower back tightness. Even if Candelario hadn’t been slumping, Castro likely would’ve played; he was 3-for-7 off McKenzie entering the day, while the rest of the Tigers lineup had three career hits off him combined.

Intentional or not, Castro was going to the opposite field against McKenzie. His first-inning liner off a high fastball had a .690 expected batting average according to Statcast, but Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan was well-positioned to charge down the ball.

Next at-bat, Castro took a fastball, then attacked a hanging slider and put it where Kwan couldn’t get it. The line drive to left would’ve been out in just five other Major League parks, according to Statcast, but it cleared Comerica Park’s left-field fence and bounced off the bullpen dugout.

Castro hit a pair of solo homers last Wednesday in Minnesota, and another nine days earlier at Tampa Bay. He has more home runs in the last two weeks (four) than he had in 315 at-bats last season. He went 7-for-14 with three homers, a double and three RBIs for the week, and he’s one off his career-high homer total of five set in 2019. Given their left-handed bats and similar position sets, Castro’s tear is one potential reason the Tigers haven’t been compelled yet to call up slugging prospect Kody Clemens, who has powered Triple-A Toledo’s offense but has done almost all of his damage off right-handed pitching.

Considering one of Castro’s home runs in Minnesota came off Dylan Bundy, who’s slated to start for the Twins on Monday at Comerica Park, keeping him in the lineup for another day is a no-brainer. He’ll likely play one game of Tuesday’s doubleheader, and may see more playing time soon after that, as the Tigers will face right-handed pitchers for Minnesota on Wednesday and Thursday.

“I don’t want to say too much, but I think Harold’s in a good spot,” Hinch said.

By contrast, Candelario has just three hits in his last 28 at-bats, but two are home runs that provided the eventual deciding tallies, including his 10th-inning homer Wednesday in Minnesota. Pinch-hitting Sunday for Robbie Grossman, who suffered neck spasms in his only at-bat, Candelario was one of McKenzie’s strikeout victims in the third inning, but hit a hard foul ball beforehand that sent first-base coach Gary Jones toppling to the ground.

McKenzie got rolling again after Castro’s home run, but in the 6th, Candelario connected with a hanging curveball and sent it deep to right for a 2-0 lead. It was just the pitch that Candelario needed.

“Jeimer has had a really rough go of it,” Hinch said before the game. “There are glimpses of the same player, but he’s caught in between.”

Those glimpses like Sunday will help Candelario earn more chances to get going. More big hits like Sunday, meanwhile, will keep Castro playing and help him keep rolling.