Born of necessity and now rumors MLB is looking at changing rules for starters with regards to minimum IP or runs allowed determining when a SP can be pulled. Would be a stupid rule to put it mildly.
Created out of dire necessity, Tigers’ opener-bulk strategy has been an ‘epiphany’
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But there’s no denying the effectiveness of the strategy. There’s no denying the advantage it has given Hinch in terms of being able to matchup pitchers’ strengths to certain pockets of the opponent’s batting order.
The opposing manager will know ahead of time who the opener will be, but he won’t know which bulk-inning pitcher Hinch will use. It could be a right-hander or a lefty. Does the manager stack his lineup to attack the opener or does he align his hitters for the bulk reliever?
“It’s created a lot of chaotic preparation for the other side where they’re not sure what we’re going to do,” Hinch said. “They have to deal with our whole pitching staff. And one thing I do know from my time in the game, the less you show a hitter, specifically the best hitters in the lineup, the better chance you have of minimizing their damage.
“But you need a lot to happen for it to be successful.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, right? No more so than after July 30 when starting pitcher Jack Flaherty was traded to the Dodgers.
With Reese Olson and Casey Mize on the injured list and Kenta Maeda already sent to the bullpen after struggling through his first 16 starts, the Tigers were down to two starters — Cy Young Award candidate Tarik Skubal and rookie Keider Montero, whose ERA at the time was over 6.0.
Desperate times, indeed. Especially with what appeared to be a dearth of starting pitching at Triple-A Toledo where Matt Manning was injured and other starters like Brant Hurter, Bryan Sammons and Ty Madden were soldiering through bumpy seasons.
At some point, either late that July 30 night or on the off day the following day, president Scott Harris, general manager Jeff Greenberg, manager AJ Hinch and pitching coach Chris Fetter met to tackle the obvious question: What the heck are we going to do now?
The opener-bulk strategy is more nuanced. Pitchers like Hurter, Sammons (who has since been sent back to Triple-A), Maeda and Madden are staying essentially on starters’ routines, pitching every five or six days and eating five or more innings preferably.
But Hinch has the ability of starting them where he wants to in the game. He can pick the most advantageous pocket to get them into the game and, just as importantly, out of the game without going through the lineup a third time.
The results speak for themselves. Tigers pitching in August had the second lowest ERA in baseball (3.06). The team was 9-8 in the opener-bulk games, with several of the losses coming in games where the offense scored two runs or fewer.
“It’s about the players and their readiness,” Hinch said. “Asking Hurter to come in with guys on base (which he did Sunday for third time in his pro career), asking Sammons to do that in his debut. Everybody in these last few weeks has been incredible. The players are all buying in.