A.J. Hinch Explains Tigers' Creative Bullpen Usage in Game 4 ALDS Win Over Mariners
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Going into Game 4 of their American League Division Series against the Seattle Mariners, the plan was simple for Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch: do whatever it takes to get to a Game 5.
In the playoffs, the game is managed so much differently than a regular-season contest. Facing elimination, teams have to pull out all the stops. That’s what Hinch did on Wednesday at Comerica Park in a 9-3 win to force a series-deciding Game 5 in Seattle on Friday night.
The Tigers sent out Casey Mize to start Game 4, and the right-hander went three innings where he allowed one run and struck out six. However, in an all-hands-on-deck situation, Hinch opted to deploy his bullpen.
Tigers Manager A.J. Hinch Explains Bullpen Usage in Game 4
Mize was strong enough to go beyond the third inning, but in an elimination game, that wasn’t the case. Hinch went to his bullpen to give the Mariners different looks, hoping to keep the game close until the offense woke up.
“The best chance for us to not only keep this game close but win this game was to continue to throw different pitchers at them. It's been a successful strategy for us. Casey definitely could have gone out [for the fourth], but when the game dropped us off at [Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor] and we have our full allotment in the 'pen … we were all hands on deck. And so the aggressive move to the 'pen was to try to give them a lot of different looks," Hinch said, per MLB.com.
Keeping the game close is what Detroit’s bullpen did. Tyler Holton, Kyle Finnegan, Troy Melton and Will Vest combined for six innings of work. They allowed two runs on six hits. They also struck out six, and walked two.
The Mariners took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth before the Tigers' offense came to life. Detroit scored at least one run over its final four at-bats, highlighted by a solo home run from Riley Greene and a two-run homer from Javier Báez in the sixth inning. Gleyber Torres added a solo shot in the seventh. After the Tigers tied the game, Melton and Vest closed the door with four scoreless innings.
Hinch has been down this road before with the Houston Astros and even Detroit in the playoffs previously. Now he gets to send his ace, Tarik Skubal, to the mound in Game 5 at T-Mobile Park with a chance to play the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series beginning on Sunday.
Everything went as planned to save the season for at least one more game.
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Scott Roche has covered both college and professional sports for nearly three decades for various outlets. Scott has covered the MLB, NHL, and college sports and he is someone always looking for a good rumor, no matter which sport it is.