The Cleveland Guardians have eight left-handed hitters and three switch-hitters on their roster. In Recreation 1 towards Tigers lefty Tarik Skubal, they are going to have an unimaginable six left-handed hitters on their bench, maybe prepared for a line change every time the Tigers flip to their bullpen.
The Tigers, in the meantime, have solely two left-handed relievers of their playoff bullpen. It’s an fascinating selection, however the Tigers hope Skubal can present a prolonged Recreation 1 begin, they usually plan to have lefties Tyler Holton and Brant Hurter obtainable for all three video games.
With lefty Bailey Horn nonetheless caught within the 15-day possibility cycle, rookie Drew Sommers would have been the Tigers’ solely actual selection so as to add a 3rd lefty. The Tigers doubtless wouldn’t have wished to make use of Sommers in a key spot, so carrying him would have been performative at finest.
The Tigers all year long let go a bunch of different left-handed relievers comparable to Andrew Chafin (a 2.41 ERA with the Nationals and Angels), PJ Poulin (a 3.65 ERA with the Nationals), Dietrich Enns (a 3.14 ERA with the Orioles) and Matt Gage (a 3.91 ERA with the Giants).
These choices look pricey now. Different Tigers’ righties comparable to Will Vest and Kyle Finnegan deal with lefties properly. However whenever you take a look at matchups that may decide this sequence, the Tigers’ bullpen towards Cleveland’s left-handed hitters is an effective place to start out.
