Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, center, celebrates with Riley Greene, right, after Game 3 of an American League Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday in Detroit. (AP photo)

DETROIT — Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson each drove in a run, and six pitchers combined to lift the Detroit Tigers to a 3-0 win over Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday afternoon and a 2-1 lead in their AL Division Series.

The Tigers, baseball’s hottest team the past two months, will have their first chance to advance to the American League Championship Series since 2013 tonight in Game 4 at Comerica Park.

“We’re human,” Torkelson said. “We know how close we are.”

Cleveland has gone 20 straight innings without scoring since opening the series with a five-run first and a two-run sixth in its 7-0 win. Steven Kwan had three of its six hits in Game 3.

“Short sample size, obviously in the playoffs it’s a lot more magnified,” David Fry said after going 0 for 3 with two strikeouts, contributing to the team’s eight runners left on base. “I think guys have hit balls hard. Balls aren’t really falling.”

After AL Cy Young Award favorite Tarik Skubal helped Detroit shut out Cleveland in Game 2, manager A.J. Hinch put a stream of pitchers on the mound and kept the Guardians quiet at the plate.

Detroit reliever Will Vest entered with two on and two outs in the seventh, and Fry lined to a leaping Matt Vierling at third.

“He likes to pull the ball a lot, so I was ready for anything that came my way,” Vierling said. “I didn’t have time to think. I just had to react.”

Fans were fired up all day, chanting “Let’s go Tigers!” before the first playoff pitch in Detroit since 2014, and 44,885 were in the stands for the largest crowd in Comerica Park’s 25-year history.

Right-hander Keider Montero retired the side in order in the first, and the previously slumping Greene hit a two-out RBI single in the home half.

Brant Hurter gave up five hits in 3 1/3 innings. Beau Brieske pitched two innings and Sean Guenther got one out. Vest threw 1 1/3 innings before Tyler Holton handled the ninth.

It’s the first time Detroit has recorded two shutouts in a postseason series.

The Tigers took a 2-0 lead in the third after No. 9 hitter Jake Rogers led off with a double, advanced to third on Parker Meadows’ grounder and scored on Vierling’s sacrifice fly.

Eli Morgan gave up Torkelson’s RBI double in the sixth. The slugger had been 0 for 14 with nine strikeouts in the postseason.

“In the playoffs you don’t get caught up in the numbers, you’re just trying to win and we’re doing that,” Torkelson said. “It felt pretty good to come through there.”

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UP NEXT

Cleveland RHP Tanner Bibee is scheduled to start Game 4 while Detroit likely will wait until today to announce who will open on the mound as the first of at least a handful of pitchers it will plan to play.

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