Unlike last year, the Detroit Tigers can go match up multiple starting pitchers in a postseason series beyond just Tarik Skubal.
So with their second straight postseason appearance a veritable lock, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch can start lining up his staff beyond the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic shared how Detroit may do so next month.
Skubal, of course, is a front-runner to claim his second straight American League Cy Young Award, along with Garrett Crochet of the Boston Red Sox. He is 12-4 with a 2.18 ERA, a 0.87 WHIP and 216 strikeouts in 173 innings.
But Skubal was the only Tigers pitcher to throw more than 10 innings in the playoffs last year, since he went 1-1 with a 2.37 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 19 innings.
How Will A.J. Hinch Use His Pitching Staff In October?
Skubal is arguably the game’s best pitcher, and the Tigers won 86 games and claimed the AL’s second wild-card spot. They then upset the Houston Astros in the AL wild-card series, and pushed the Cleveland Guardians to a fifth game in the ALDS with Skubal serving as their only true starter.
“Pitching should be less of an issue, and not just because of Skubal’s dominance,” Rosenthal wrote in The Athletic on Tuesday. Last season, Hinch’s ‘pitching chaos’ strategy helped the Tigers make a remarkable run to the playoffs.
But this year Hinch has options besides the all-everything left-hander. The Tigers brought back Jack Flaherty as their No. 2 starter, and they have both Casey Mize and October fixture Charlie Morton to start games — rather than going strictly to bullpen games beyond Skubal in Game 1.
But Rosenthal stated Hinch may still opt to mix stir up some matchups in October.
“This season, functioning with a more stable rotation, things look more conventional,” Rosenthal wrote. “But come the postseason, Hinch again figures to attack opponents in waves.”
Rosenthal cited Detroit’s two recent series against the Kansas City Royals — who are still chasing the Tigers for the AL Central crown, albeit nine games out with just 25 to play.
“On Aug. 23, with a 3-1 lead against the Kansas City Royals, Hinch lifted Chris Paddack after five innings and only 62 pitches. Troy Melton, Tyler Holton and Will Vest allowed one run in 3 2/3 innings the rest of the way,” Rosenthal wrote. Last Friday, Hinch again removed Paddack with a lead, 4-3 over the Royals with two outs in the fourth. Paddack had thrown only 58 pitches, but Holton, Melton, Kyle Finnegan and Vest combined to hold the Royals scoreless the rest of the way.
What Will The Tigers’ Playoff Rotation Be?
It’s safe to assume Skubal will throw Game 1 of every playoff series, especially since Hinch can line up his playoff rotation how he wants it with Detroit effectively assured of one of the AL’s top two seeds.
The Tigers have the AL’s best record and lead the No. 3 seeded Houston Astros by 3.5 games.
But Rosenthal also floated how the starters may be deployed beyond Skubal in Game 1.
“Flaherty, who returned to the team last offseason on a two-year, $35 million free-agent contract with an opt-out, almost certainly will be the team’s preference to start Game 2,” Rosenthal wrote. “Flaherty, at his best, is a perfectly viable Game 2 starter. But his performance this season has fluctuated as wildly as it did for the Los Angeles Dodgers in last year’s playoffs, when he followed his two best starts with poor ones. He warrants only so much trust.”
With enhanced expectations after their surprise run last year and dominant regular season, plus the fact they have not won the World Series since 1984 or been to it since 2012, the heat is on Detroit’s pitching.
The Tigers will find October to be the ultimate test,” Rosenthal wrote. “Beyond aces like Skubal, the performances of starting pitchers in the postseason means only so much. The quality of the staff as a whole is what matters most.”
Insider Reveals How Tigers May Deploy Pitching Staff In Playoffs