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The Tigers feel like they can win every series because they are hyper-focused on doing just that. Every series is like an individual battle for them.
Need an extra right-handed pitcher to face San Diego? Bring Chase Lee up, Lee made his MLB debut and was fantastic on Tuesday.
Need some more offense against the Padres, who entered their series as the hottest team in baseball? Bring up Jace Jung and move Javier Báez to center field. I mean, who didn’t see that coming in spring training?
Actually, Hinch did and he started giving Baez some reps in Florida. Just in case.
And yes, the Tigers long ago reached “just in case” time. So, break the glass. Move Báez to center. And that’s the true wizard at work. Seeing answers before they actually crystalize into questions and problems.
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But there is another secret to the success. Hinch is approaching this season in chunks, like micro-tests. The first was the road trip to start the season, facing tremendous pitching in from the Los Angeles Dodgers and Seattle Mariners.
The most recent was a stretch of 13 games in 13 days, so Hinch brought up right-hander Keider Montero to give his starters a rest. The result was obvious. Jack Flaherty, with two extra days rest, had a great outing (sans one swing) on Tuesday, and Reese Olson was ridiculously good on Wednesday. And it all started with how they used Montero.
The most recent was a stretch of 13 games in 13 days, so Hinch brought up right-hander Keider Montero to give his starters a rest. The result was obvious. Jack Flaherty, with two extra days rest, had a great outing (sans one swing) on Tuesday, and Reese Olson was ridiculously good on Wednesday. And it all started with how they used Montero.
It’s remarkable, really, how Hinch has maneuvered through a crazy number of injuries — the most he’s ever encountered at one time in his career. No, more than that. It’s how they continue to win.
At the same time, he has had to be careful not to overuse the guys who are healthy. So, he is trying to win every series, while trying to keep Kerry Carpenter healthy and trying not to run Zach McKinstry into the ground. Same goes for Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson.
It’s tricky, to say the least.
Yes, they are playing the long game, trying to buy time until the injured guys get back.
But make no mistake: They are focused on winning every series.