DETROIT -- Tied at 1-all in the American League Division Series after a tough Game 2 loss behind Tarik Skubal on Sunday night, Detroit will turn to Jack Flaherty to get back on track during Game 3 against the Mariners on Tuesday.
Casey Mize is on tap for Game 4, with the Tigers banking that will be enough to get them past the Mariners in the best-of-five series. Should the series extend to a winner-take-all final showdown, the clubs will return to Seattle, where Game 5 starters have yet to be announced.
The right-hander said he relishes the opportunity to start in what will either be a clinch scenario or a must-win to force the series back to Seattle for a decisive Game 5 on Friday.
“I don't fear that [the pressure situation]; I look forward to it,” Mize said. “... Getting back on the field and being productive, and then being called upon to compete and be your best in times of need, that's like every athlete's dream, I think.”
The Tigers haven’t won at home since Sept. 6 -- a shutout of the White Sox that featured yet another Skubal gem -- and Flaherty welcomes the chance both to snap the team’s seven-game losing streak there and to experience postseason baseball in Detroit.
“It's going to be a lot of fun. Hometown games are incredible. Playoff games in general are incredible,” Flaherty said. “You get to be at home, get the home crowd behind you.
“That last series there against Cleveland at home, they were behind us. We didn't perform as well as we would have liked, but it's all in the past now. So you just take that and hopefully, you know, multiply that times a couple.”
Flaherty, of course, was referencing the penultimate series of the home schedule, during which the Guardians swept Detroit to pull to within 3 1/2 games of a lead in the division they’d eventually win. The Tigers ultimately got the last laugh against the Guardians by winning the AL Wild Card Series two weeks later behind Flaherty’s 4 2/3 strong innings.
He’ll do his part to help history repeat itself, as Seattle owned the season series against the Tigers, 4-2, with both losses coming in Motown. Flaherty said the raucous home crowd is every bit an advantage he’s hoping to tap into.
“You know Detroit shows up, and it's something I'm looking forward to,” Flaherty said. “You hear about it, so it's something I'm looking forward to and just feeding off of that energy.”
Flaherty saw the Mariners just once this season, when he fanned seven and allowed two runs on a pair of solo homers over five innings during Detroit’s 8-4 loss on July 13. Having won a World Series with the Dodgers last season, the righty also brings experience of having competed -- and succeeded -- on baseball’s biggest stage, something that’s not taken lightly.
Mize starting Game 4 is a departure from the norm in that he had previously been in front of Flaherty in the rotation, but a key to the “pitching chaos” concept the Tigers are known for is flexibility on multiple fronts, so the decision made sense.
Mize will have an extra day of rest between starts because of the flip, something he combatted by pushing his normal bullpen day back and keeping the back end of his routine the same.
The 28-year-old got his first postseason experience during a three-inning start against Cleveland in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series.
“I really couldn't wait to get out there. I really enjoyed it,” Mize said on Tuesday. “I love to compete, and that's the highest level of competition you can get. … I look forward to getting back out there, this time at home [and] in front of my own fans, which will be pretty fun.”
While Flaherty matches up a bit better against Mariners batters, when manager A.J. Hinch was asked why he chose to lead with Flaherty versus Mize, he hinted there were small reasons to follow this particular plan, but also said it could have gone either way.
“Every series is a little different. We did flip them last time, and we’re doing it again,” Hinch said. “Both are working off relatively controllable pitch counts. … Obviously, Jack on regular routine [and] regular rest is really attractive. When he catches his rhythm and timing, the things we’ve seen over the last couple of starts, that’s a really good version of him.”
Logan Gilbert will start for Seattle opposite Flaherty.