Against all odds, the Tigers have made it to the AL Division Series despite their late-season collapse.
Detroit squandered a 15.5-game lead on the Guardians in the AL Central and dropped 13 of their last 16 games to finish the regular season. Once hoping for a bye to the ALDS, the Tigers had to go to Cleveland for a wild-card series just to advance to the round they once thought was a given.
They were able to finally put the pesky Guardians to bed, winning a decisive Game 3 on the road to move on. Now, the Tigers will travel to Seattle to begin their ALDS series against the Mariners who won 90 games in the regular season and possess one of baseball's best offenses.
Cal Raleigh smacked 60 home runs this year, becoming just the seventh player in MLB history to hit 60 or more in one campaign. He set the record for the most homers by a catcher in a single season, a record that won't be broken any time soon unless Raleigh does it himself.
Beyond the Big Dumper's magical season, the M's made an aggressive push at the trade deadline to bring in Eugenio Suárez and Josh Naylor from the Diamondbacks to bolster their lineup for a run in October. Suárez hit 49 homers himself this year, which was the fifth most in baseball behind only Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Schwarber and, of course, Raleigh.
Seattle's offense hit 238 home runs as a unit this season, which is behind only the Yankees and Dodgers. The Tigers' bats haven't been nearly as good, especially as of late, but they have the most dominant pitcher in baseball on their roster in Tarik Skubal.
With a trip to the AL Championship Series on the line, the ALDS matchup between the Mariners and Tigers won't disappoint. Ahead of Saturday's Game 1, here are a handful of bold predictions for the series:
Tigers Employ Pitching Chaos for Game 1
Skubal, last year's AL Cy Young Award winner and this season's frontrunner, is the preferred option to start Game 1, but he'd be on limited rest following his gem Tuesday in Cleveland in the Tigers' playoff opener.
Starters Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty followed Skubal in Games 2 and 3 against the Guardians, leaving them on even shorter rest. The Tigers will likely look to string together a quality outing from multiple pitchers to start the series, similar to the bullpen games they leaned on during their magical run to the postseason a year ago. Manager A.J. Hinch could give Keider Montero the ball to begin Game 1 against the Mariners. He started their regular-season finale against the Red Sox, throwing 4 1/3 strong innings as he allowed just one earned run. He's rested after not pitching against the Guardians, too.
Not rushing Skubal to start clears the way for him to toe the rubber in Game 2 in Seattle, the same city where he played college ball. Should Detroit's lefty ace pitch Sunday's Game 2, he'd be available to start a decisive Game 5 on four days rest if the series goes the distance.
Eugenio Suárez Makes Tigers Pay for Not Upgrading Lineup at Trade Deadline
Detroit was one of many teams in on the Eugenio Suárez sweepstakes at this season's trade deadline. The Mariners won out with the Diamondbacks, though, upgrading their already powerful lineup in a massive way.
Suárez has been fairly inconsistent since his return to Seattle with a .682 OPS in 53 appearances, but he's mashed 13 home runs this year with the M's and 49 total on the season, which ties a career high. Should the Tigers decide to pitch around Raleigh as much as they can, Suárez will see plenty of opportunity to make them pay.
Tigers president Scott Harris chose not to add some oomph to the lineup at the trade deadline. He addressed their pitching depth in questionable fashion, adding a myriad of relievers and fringe starters for a minimal price due to his reluctance to give up any of Detroit's prized farm talent. Before the Tigers' six-run outburst in Game 3 against the Guardians, their offense put up just three runs over the first two games in Cleveland. Seattle's high-powered offense certainly has the ability to quickly outpace Detroit's. Suárez's big bat can be a huge part of that.
The Javier Báez Renaissance Continues
Báez has had his strongest season as a Tiger this year, earning his third All-Star appearance. He even made 53 appearances in center field this season, the most in the outfield over his 12-year career by a mile. He's back playing as Detroit's everyday shortstop and his bat has proved to be a reliable factor, heating up at the right time.
He went 5-for-11 at the plate over the Tigers' three-game series with the Guardians, providing offense when it was hard to come by. You'll still see Báez chase pitches outside of the zone, but he's been one of Detroit's most reliable batters and came up big with their season on the line. Continuing his seven-game hitting streak will be critical to keep up with Seattle's strong offense powered by Raleigh, Suárez, Julio Rodríguez and Randy Arozarena. Especially in games where Skubal isn't on the hill.