CLEVELAND -- Finally, mercifully a victory.

The Detroit Tigers hit three solo home runs and played a refreshingly clean, crisp game to beat the Cleveland Guardians 4-2 on Thursday night at Progressive Field.

The Tigers (86-73) snapped an eight-game losing streak and avoided a sweep at the hands of the surging Guardians (86-73).

Although tied in record, Cleveland leads the Tigers in the AL Central by virtue of winning the season series. The Tigers currently occupy the sixth and final AL playoff seed, one game ahead of the Houston Astros (85-74). Because Detroit owns the tiebreaker over Houston, the Tigers need just two more wins or Astros losses, in any combination, to clinch.

So while it was only one measly win, it had a profound impact on Detroit’s October outlook.

Guardians rookie P

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