# How the Tigers might approach their postseason rotation beyond Tarik Skubal
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It’s not that big a deal.
In a handful of recent games, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch has provided a glimpse of how he might operate in October. He was not afraid to yank his starters early, and by the postseason, his bullpen should be deep enough for him to manage with the same type of urgency.
Frankly, the Tigers’ greater concern might be an offense that entered Monday with the fourth-highest strikeout rate in the majors. The only teams that were worse – the Los Angeles Angels, Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates – are all non-contenders. And the Tigers’ swing-and-miss tendencies mitigated their baserunning proficiency: They led the league by a wide margin in extra-base taken percentage.
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The Tigers, of course, will not be the only team relying heavily on its bullpen in October. A year ago, the average postseason start lasted less than 4 1/3 innings, second-lowest all-time after 2021.
The San Diego Padres, in particular, can unload one star reliever after another. The Toronto Blue Jays could use Eric Lauer as a piggyback-style reliever. The Los Angeles Dodgers could get creative with Clayton Kershaw and Tyler Glasnow. Other clubs also figure to operate with short leashes. It’s just the way the modern game is played.
One of the Tigers’ non-Skubal starters – Jack Flaherty, Charlie Morton or Casey Mize – will be in the mix to be a bulk reliever, at least for the Division Series. The choice of which one moves to the bullpen might depend more on matchups than how each pitcher is performing at the time.
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If, for example, the Tigers’ opponent is more vulnerable to Mize’s split-fingered fastball and Flaherty’s spin, then Morton could become a weapon out of the ’pen – just as he was for Hinch with the Houston Astros when he pitched four innings of relief to close out Game 7 of the 2017 World Series.
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The Tigers also are awaiting the returns of two potential bullpen weapons who have yet to throw a pitch for them – José Urquidy, who is on a rehabilitation assignment completing his recovery from Tommy John surgery, and Paul Sewald, whom the team acquired from the Cleveland Guardians at the deadline while he was on the injured list for the second time this season with a shoulder strain.
Neither, obviously, is a sure thing.
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Hinch will not be wedded to quick hooks with his non-Skubal starters. Flaherty, who returned to the team last offseason on a two-year, $35 million free-agent contract with an opt-out, almost certainly will be the team’s preference to start Game 2. If he pitches the way he did Saturday against the Royals – one run, 5 2/3 innings – Hinch will read the game and react accordingly. Ditto for the others.
Flaherty, at his best, is a perfectly viable Game 2 starter. But his performance this season has fluctuated as wildly as it did for the Los Angeles Dodgers in last year’s playof
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The way Hinch lines up his rotation behind Skubal will remain a topic of discussion. But in a way, the conversation misses the point.
Beyond aces like Skubal, the performances of starting pitchers in the postseason means only so much. The quality of the staff as a whole is what matters most.