Tigers-Guardians AL Division Series Game 2 FAQ (Mon., 4 ET, TBS)
October 5th, 2024
CLEVELAND — There’s a cautious optimism in the Guardians’ clubhouse.
The confidence has been there all season, and it won’t go away anytime soon. It was boosted to another level after Cleveland took a 7-0 win over the Tigers in Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Saturday for a multitude of reasons.
The Guardians didn’t falter against Detroit’s “pitching chaos” approach. Most of their best hitters came alive when the team needed them the most. Plus, the bullpen was even better than the sky-high expectations everyone had for them. But with Tigers ace Tarik Skubal slated to start Game 2, the Guardians know they can’t get ahead of themselves.
“I’d like to think so,” Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan said when asked if Saturday set the tone for the series. “It’s baseball, though. You know, long series. There’s a lot of good things to build off of. It’s good momentum, but we have to go in next game with some preparation.”
This is where the Guardians’ vigilance comes into play. No matter how much momentum can be swinging in the other direction, just sending the AL Cy Young favorite to the rubber can snatch it all back for the Tigers in a blink of an eye. And if they can steal a win at Progressive Field before they head back to Comerica Park for the first playoff game in that ballpark since 2014, there’s no telling how this series ends up.
“[That was] obviously Game 1, and we get a day off to reset,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “We’ve been really good at it, and we plan to throw our best out there in Game 2.”
While Saturday marked the Tigers’ first loss of the postseason after back-to-back wins in Houston in the AL Wild Card Series, they were already looking ahead in the wake of a humbling defeat.
“This is going to be a fight to the finish,” left-hander Tyler Holton said. “They landed a good first punch, but we’re still standing, so we’re going to fight back.”
When is the game and how can I watch it?
Game 2 is set to begin Monday at 4:08 p.m. ET, with the broadcast airing on TBS, TruTV and Max. All games are available in the U.S. on MLB.TV (authentication to a participating Pay TV provider is required). Live games are also available in select countries outside the U.S. For full details, click here.
Who are the starting pitchers?Tigers: LHP Tarik SkubalThe AL’s pitching Triple Crown winner announced his postseason presence in last Tuesday’s AL Wild Card Series opener with six scoreless innings and six strikeouts in Houston, swinging the series in Detroit’s favor. Skubal’s lone start against the Guardians in the regular season was an exercise in damage control at Progressive Field, as he scattered 10 hits over seven innings with just one run allowed thanks to six timely strikeouts. Skubal has allowed two runs over 13 innings with 13 strikeouts in two starts against Cleveland since returning from flexor tendon surgery at midseason last year.
Guardians: LHP Matthew BoydTalk about a full-circle moment. Boyd will be toeing the rubber in his first career postseason start, against the team he was with for eight years. On top of that, he’s going head-to-head against Skubal, whom he’s mentored since the Cy Young favorite first joined the Tigers’ organization. Just a few months ago, Boyd didn’t know if this moment would be possible, as he waited for a team to sign him while he was recovering from Tommy John surgery. The Guardians took a risk, hoping that he’d be healthy by the middle of August and could contribute to their struggling rotation. Since then, he’s flourished. He pitched to a 2.72 ERA in eight starts since coming off the IL and made himself the no-doubt choice to get the ball in Game 2 of a playoff series.
What are the starting lineups?Tigers: Though Detroit hitters know Boyd well, expect a more balanced lineup than the lefty-heavy order that faced Tanner Bibee in Game 1. That means a start for lefty-killer Andy Ibáñez and rookie outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy.
Riley Greene, LF
Matt Vierling, 3B
Justyn-Henry Malloy, DH
Wenceel Perez, RF
Spencer Torkelson, 1B
Jake Rogers, C
Trey Sweeney, SS
Parker Meadows, CF
Guardians: Expect Cleveland to have a similar lineup in Game 2 as it did in Game 1 with another lefty on the rubber. However, if the Guardians are drawing back on their one matchup against Skubal this season, they may be inclined to work Tyler Freeman into the lineup. He’s another right-handed bat who went 3-for-4 off Skubal just a few months ago.
That means the Guardians will need to feel comfortable enough to put Freeman in right field. This year, his outfield experience was limited to center field in the Majors. Last season, he had limited experience in left field. But Cleveland has been confident all season that his athleticism can move him all over the diamond. If the Guardians aren’t willing to take that risk, expect Noel’s righty bat to be back in right field.
David Fry, DH
José Ramírez, 3B
Josh Naylor, 1B
Lane Thomas, CF
Andrés Giménez, 2B
Jhonkensy Noel, RF
Bo Naylor, C
Brayan Rocchio, SS
How will the bullpens line up after the starter?Tigers: The Tigers had heavy bullpen usage in Game 1 despite five innings from Reese Olson, but Sunday’s off-day means everyone should be available for Game 2, including opener Tyler Holton. Hinch kept much of his late-inning core out of the series opener, including closer Jason Foley, setup man Will Vest and versatile right-hander Beau Brieske, denying Cleveland hitters a look at their repertoire.
Guardians: The plan will be to wash, rinse, repeat what they did in Game 1. Cleveland’s pitching couldn’t have been more textbook than Tanner Bibee to Cade Smith to Tim Herrin to Hunter Gaddis to Emmanuel Clase. This is the goal every night and we saw why. Once Smith took the ball, the Tigers didn’t record a single hit, as this bullpen combined for 4 1/3 scoreless frames. And with Sunday being an off day, everyone will be well-rested again for Game 2.
Any injuries of note?Tigers: Javier Báez is out for the season following right hip surgery in August.
Guardians: Now that Alex Cobb was cleared to join the roster, the Guardians are all healthy.
Who’s hot?Tigers: There isn’t much heat here after four hits in Saturday’s series opener, but Parker Meadows has hit safely in all three of the Tigers’ games this postseason, going 3-for-12.
Guardians: Can Lane Thomas build on the start he had to his playoff career? The first pitch he saw on Saturday was sent into the left-field bleachers for a three-run homer at Progressive Field, contributing to the Guardians’ huge five-run first inning. At the beginning of September, he was scorching hot, hitting .367 with a 1.115 OPS in the first 13 games of the month. The longer he’s been around this team, the better his bat has gotten.
Did you know?At 26 years, 169 days, the Tigers finished the season as MLB’s youngest team, and the Guardians were the third youngest (27 years, 26 days). According to Elias, this ALDS marks the first postseason series between two of the five youngest teams in MLB that season.