CLEVELAND — What happens when two mostly young, ambitious and similarly-built teams play each other for the 11th time in a season, the 16th time in 11 months, when all strategies have been played and there are no new strings to pull?

It becomes a battle of execution and will. It becomes mano a mano. It becomes … a bunt fest?

The Tigers, for the first time since April 22, no longer hold first place alone in the AL Central Division. The Cleveland Guardians, in most peculiar fashion, scored three times in the sixth inning without advancing a baseball out of the infield, and delivered the Tigers’ seventh straight loss Tuesday night, 5-2, at Progressive Field.

The Tigers took a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth and Tarik Skubal was dominating the Guardians’ hitters. He’d given up just two hits when the top of the order came around a third time.

Leadoff hitter Steven Kwan reached on a bunt single. Angel Martinez followed with another bunt. Skubal fielded it with his back to first base. He tried to hike it to first but it went over Spencer Torkelson’s head.

That put runners at second and third. Jose Ramirez then topped a ball down the third-base line — a swinging bunt essentially — and Kwan scored.

Next hitter, David Fry, also tried to bunt. But he fouled a 99-mph fastball and the ball caromed horrifyingly off his face. He laid on the ground for several minutes and was eventually carted off the field with a towel over his face.

He was taken to nearby Lutheran Medical Center for evaluation.

Skubal was visibly shaken, dropping his glove and his hat to the ground and throwing his hands up over his head. And his first pitch to pinch-hitter George Valera went to the backstop, allowing the second run to score.

Then Skubal balked Ramirez to third, his second balk this season and second of his career.

Ramirez scored on a groundout.

Three runs, one earned, and the game shockingly flipped.

The Tigers, who had a 10-game lead in the decision as recently as Sept. 3, are now tied with the Guardians with identical 85-72 records. But Cleveland has won the season series and own the tiebreaker. The Tigers have lost 11 of their last 12.

As disappointing as the bottom of the sixth inning was, the Tigers’ response to it was just as concerning.

After striking out 12 times against Cleveland starter Gavin Williams in six innings, the first two hitters in the seventh off lefty reliever Erik Sabrowski, Zach McKinstry and Wenceel Perez, took called third strikes and pinch-hitter Andy Ibanez lined out to left.

The Tigers ended up striking out 19 times. They swung and missed on 33 of their 58 swings. They haven’t scored a run against the Guardians’ bullpen in the last three games (10 innings), going back to Wednesday at Comerica Park.

The Tigers’ bullpen, meanwhile, has given up 10 runs to the Guardians in the last four games.

The Guardians cushioned their lead with a pair of two out runs in the seventh. That also felt like salt in the wounds after the Tigers had squandered runners in scoring position in the third (runner at second and no outs) and fourth (bases loaded, one out).

Tommy Kahnle walked No. 9 hitter Austin Hedges with two outs in the seventh. Hedges was hitting .147.

Kyle Finnegan entered and was tagged with a double by Kwan and a two-run single by pinch-hitter Daniel Schneemann.

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