Tigers return to Cleveland for Wild Card Series after falling short of AL Central title
BOSTON (AP) — The Detroit Tigers are heading back to the familiar surroundings of Progressive Field in Cleveland after a short diversion to Boston. Detroit will be on the road to face the Guardians in a best-of-three Wild Card Series starting Tuesday, following Cleveland’s clinching of the AL Central title on the last day of the regular season.
The teams met six times in the season’s last 12 games as the Guardians completed an unprecedented charge to the division crown.
“We’re going to Cleveland, which is where we just came from, and we’ll get to work,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said on Sunday, following a 4-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox that cost Detroit a chance at the division championship. “We’ll make sure that we don’t take for granted that we know this team. We’re going to have to turn over every rock and make sure we’re prepared, and our guys will be ready.”
Cleveland (88-74) won the season series 8-5, including five of the six matchups with Detroit (87-75) over the last two weeks, as the Guardians rallied from a 15 1/2-game deficit in the division. That late surge was enough to move them past Detroit and secure home-field advantage for their playoff series starting Tuesday in Cleveland.
“Obviously, we know what kind of team they have,” Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler said. “It’s a clean slate now. So, we’re not going to worry about anything that’s happened. We’re going to move forward and we’re going to have a lot of fun.”
Hinch revealed on Sunday that he went back and forth on whether to go all-out for the division crown but ultimately opted for a lineup that gave his regulars some rest. Tigers ace Tarik Skubal had been lined up to start the regular-season finale, but Hinch scratched him on Saturday once Detroit clinched at least a wild-card berth so Skubal could pitch the playoff opener.
Skubal had given up just two earned runs in 12 innings over his previous two starts—both against the Guardians—but Detroit lost both games. He acknowledged there are advantages and disadvantages to playing a team so many times in a short period.
“But none of that matters now,” Skubal said. “I don’t really care. It’s the postseason. This is what you prepare for.”
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