The Detroit Tigers’ season is on the line in Game 5.

It’s a simple scenario that hasn’t been present for this franchise in a decade; win and advance or lose and watch someone else lift the World Series trophy.

Just a couple months ago, there were very few people who thought they would be in this situation.

Way behind in the Wild Card race that caused the front office to become sellers at the trade deadline, the Tigers’ commitment to a youth movement sparked a huge turnaround that had them entering the playoffs as the hottest team in the American League.

But this magical run could end with one loss on Saturday.

The good news is Detroit will have their ace Tarik Skubal on the bump who has been historically good in his first two career playoff starts.

The troubling news is they are coming into this contest a little banged up.

Catcher Jake Rogers took some foul balls off his wrist that resulted in him needing X-rays after Game 4 to see if there was anything structurally wrong. Fortunately, the Tigers received a positive injury update on that front, and he should be good to go despite the bumps and bruises.

When it comes to their star outfielder Kerry Carpenter, though, they could run into a bit more trouble.

The slugger left the game following the sixth inning when he tweaked his hamstring scoring a run from second base that put Detroit up 3-2 on Thursday.

There was no new information on Friday, and at the time of writing, they are still weighing if the injury is severe enough if they have to replace him on the roster with Bligh Madris, who was added to their taxi squad in case that ultimately becomes the decision.

“Kerry was seen by the doctors last night. He’s going to be seen by the doctors again. We’re going to take as much time as we can to see what he can and can’t handle,” manager A.J. Hinch said per the team’s injuries and moves page.

If they remove Carpenter from the roster, then he would not be eligible to play in the American League Championship Series if they are able to win Game 5 and advance.

The Detroit Pistons have a clear “A” and “B” option on offense this season. 

They took the floor together for the first time on Friday, as Tobias Harris made his preseason debut after missing the first two games with COVID-19. He and Cade Cunningham got whatever they wanted against the Phoenix Suns and spearheaded a blowout victory. 

The Pistons defeated the Suns on the road, 109-91, to bounce back from a nine-point loss to the Suns in East Lansing on Tuesday to improve to 2-1 in preseason. Cunningham finished with a near-triple double — 25 points (on 10-for-16 shooting), 12 rebounds, nine assists and two steals. Harris tallied 22 points (on 8-for-13 shooting). 

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It was an encouraging performance that the team will look to build on with two exhibition games remaining before the regular-season opener on Oct. 23. As a team, the Pistons shot 48.8% despite hitting just 26.5% on 3-pointers. They also got another strong outing from Jaden Ivey, who scored 12 of his 16 points in the third period. 

Kevin Durant (18 points) and Bradley Beal (17 points) led the way for Phoenix. 

With Harris’ return, J.B. Bickerstaff debuted his third new starting lineup in as many games with he and Tim Hardaway Jr. replacing Simone Fontecchio and Malik Beasley. It was Hardaway’s second start, after getting the nod in the Pistons’ preseason opener Sunday against the Milwaukee Bucks. 

Isaiah Stewart started the second half in place of Jalen Duren, who looked as though he might’ve tweaked something in his lower body during the first half.

Grand Rapids native Devin Booker missed the game for the Suns due to right ankle soreness. Bobi Klintman (right calf contusion) missed his third straight game for the Pistons. 

Tobias Harris, Cade Cunningham form potent duo in win

Harris quickly asserted himself as a go-to option, and Cunningham followed suit. 

The veteran forward scored the Pistons’ first seven points, and proceeded to make his first six shot attempts for an early 14 points in the first quarter. He scored in a variety of ways — a pair of pull-up jumpers from midrange, a pair of catch-and-shoot 3-pointers and a steal and transition dunk. 

After two quiet preseason games, Cunningham found his rhythm. He got going with a fast-break dunk after stealing the ball from Durant, then added a midrange jumper and a 3 later in the first quarter. 

Cunningham produced one of the top highlights of the night with another play involving on Durant, blowing past him with a spin move before finishing through contact with his left hand to draw a foul. The ensuing free throw brought him to 14 points at the end of the first quarter, on 6-for-7 shooting. 

The duo continued to knock down shots in the second. By halftime, they were responsible for 38 of the Pistons’ 65 points, on 15-for-22 shooting overall. They consistently generated their own looks and created for their teammates, accounting for eight of their 12 assists in the same span to help build a 15-point lead. 

It was as good a debut as the Pistons could’ve hoped for for Harris, who missed time this week on the injury report but immediately looked comfortable with the scheme. In practice earlier this week, he talked about getting acclimated during practice, before COVID-19 forced him to take time off. 

There are two preseason games remaining for him to settle in even further before the regular season opens.

“For a guy like myself, being able to catch and shoot, being able to find passing lanes for different guys for open looks and being aggressive and using my size and speed to punish the little guys, or blow by slower forwards, that’s been the name of the game my whole career,” he said Wednesday. “Obviously for us it’s just figuring out different guys, personnel-wise on the floor, how they complement each other and how we can make the game easy for each other.”

Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.

CLEVELAND — Despite not being able to close out a series win in the ALDS in Game 4 at home on Thursday, the Detroit Tigers are feeling relaxed and confident a day before the decisive Game 5 against the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday.

Manager A.J. Hinch said the team has stayed even-keeled throughout the run to make the playoffs and its first six games of the MLB postseason. He expects the same demeanor Saturday at 1:08 p.m. in front of a hostile road crowd with the season on the line.

“I’m so proud of our team and the way we are handling this — the loud music to the vibe that we are bringing tomorrow,” Hinch said. “It’s a great opportunity to be great. Like, everybody remembers these games and it’s a great opportunity. It’s not a burden, there’s no stress, no tension on our side. And we are going to enjoy every moment of this opportunity it’s where we are and where we want to be.”

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The Tigers did not have time to dwell on the back-and-forth 5-4 loss in Game 4 at Comerica Park Thursday, with an arrival in Cleveland on Friday morning. Left fielder Riley Greene said being able to compartmentalize and move on is crucial in October baseball, especially heading into a winner-take-all game.

“There is no room for getting down, it is win or go home at this point,” Greene said. “So, there’s no room for getting down on yourself and getting punched in the face. You always gotta punch right back.”

On Thursday night, first baseman Spencer Torkelson said the team didn’t want anything easy, and Game 5 starter Tarik Skubal agreed a day later. He said the team was embracing the challenge of having to clinch a second playoff series on the road.

“It’s why you play the game,” Skubal said. “For moments like this and for stages like this in this setting too. So I think our guys are going to respond well.”

The Tigers have spent most of the playoffs on the road, outside of the two-game homestand in Games 3 and 4 of the ALDS. They went 3-1 in their road games, sweeping Houston in the AL wild-card round and splitting Games 1 and 2 of the current series with Cleveland.

This will be the first decisive, winner-take-all postseason game for most of these Tigers players, but Hinch has experience in his time with the Houston Astros. He guaranteed something “unpredictable” would happen Saturday as both teams desperately try to advance.

“Everybody knows what’s at stake, there’s no secrets,” Hinch said. “It’s the best brand of baseball that you can get because everybody is all in in every moment, every pitch, every at-bat. Any one person can be the difference in the game.”

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Rubber match for familiar foes

Game 5 will be the 18th meeting between the Guardians and Tigers in 2024. The Guardians took the season series 7-6 and the two teams have been evenly matched in a competitive playoff series.

There are no secrets left for the Tigers or Guardians to spring on each other and will come down to who can make one more play on Saturday.

“We know what we are going to get, they know what they are going to get,” Greene said. “I mean, we’ve seen each other so many times that we know what’s gonna happen. It’s just a matter of, who gets that big hit?”

The Guardians and Tigers have both heavily utilized their bullpens (with Detroit taking it to extremes), turned to key pinch-hit at-bats leading to game-winning hits in Games 2 and 4 and tweaked starting lineups to try to contend with starting pitching.

“I don’t see why tomorrow would be any different,” Hinch said.

Skubal ready for big moment

The Tigers have Skubal going tomorrow and are confident in their left-handed ace to show up again in a big moment.

“He’s going to handle it like the pro that he is and attack the strike zone and attack the hitters,” Hinch said. “He loves competition. He’s into it as much as anybody that I’ve ever put on the mound. And nobody better to give the ball to on the mound in this game than Tarik.”

Skubal has pitched 13 scoreless innings in two starts this postseason, leading to Tigers’ wins in both games. He started Game 2 of the ALDS and threw seven scoreless innings, eventually setting up a dramatic ninth-inning win.

On top of his ability as a pitcher — Skubal won the AL’s pitching Triple Crown this season — Hinch said he lifts the team and instills confidence in the whole roster. It was evident in the Tigers clubhouse Thursday, as every player said they were confident in Skubal pulling out a Game 5 win.

“I know how important every game is to him and I know what it means to send him out to the mound for the confidence in our team,” Hinch said. “He’s going to handle it like a pro.”

Skubal said the respect he’s earned in the clubhouse hasn’t gone unnoticed and is emblematic of the roster’s selfless approach.

“It means a lot coming from them,” Skubal said. “And I think that’s just kind of who we are as a time. We got to battle every single day, we are young, we want it more than anybody so it’ll be a ton of fun.”

Jared Ramsey is a sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press covering the city’s professional teams, the state’s two flagship universities and more. Follow Jared on X @jared_ramsey22, and email him at jramsey@freepress.com.