The divisional round of Major League Baseball is wrapping up with a showdown between the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday. Originally set for the evening, the game was moved to the afternoon due to bad weather expected in Cleveland. The winner will face off against the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series, aiming for a spot in the World Series.
Before we dive into Game 5, let’s explore one burning question for each team. First up are the Tigers, who have surprised everyone by reaching this point despite trading away key players like Jack Flaherty and Mark Canha at the deadline.
Thanks to smart pitching strategies and better defense, they’ve been on an unexpected roll. A big reason for their success is Tarik Skubal, who’s expected to win the AL Cy Young Award. In his last outing against Cleveland, he dominated with seven shutout innings, allowing just three hits while striking out eight batters.
Guardians: How Many Pitchers Will They Use?
While Detroit focuses on Skubal’s magic arm, Cleveland has a different strategy. Fans might wonder if using so many pitchers will work or backfire. Manager Stephen Vogt seems to believe momentum lies with whoever’s pitching next inning rather than just starting strong.
Matthew Boyd will start for them but don’t expect him to last long; he hasn’t pitched five full innings in over a month! So far this series, they’ve used at least five pitchers every game—sometimes even more! With everything riding on Saturday’s match-up against Detroit’s ace pitcher Skubal once again leading charge—it’ll be interesting seeing how often Vogt makes trips out onto mound himself!
What do you think? Will Skubal lead his team further or can Cleveland’s bullpen strategy prevail?
