Detroit manager A.J. Hinch planned to start right-hander Reese Olson against Cleveland in Game 4 of the AL Division Series, hoping he could pitch for more than just an inning or two.
Hinch has used what he calls “pitching chaos,” depending on relievers to pitch when it’s not the turn of AL Cy Young Award favorite Tarik Skubal.
“It’s OK to have a regular start by somebody not named Tarik Skubal,” Hinch said with a smile on Wednesday, a few hours before the first pitch at Comerica Park.
Detroit pitchers had thrown 20 straight scoreless innings. Six pitchers combined for a 3-0 win on Tuesday, just one game after Skubal pitched seven innings in another 3-0 victory.
Cleveland did well when facing Olson in a 7-0 win during the first game of the best-of-five series.
Hinch didn’t use a traditional starter in Game 1. Tyler Holton gave up four runs, three hits, and a walk without getting an out. Olson allowed Lane Thomas’ three-run homer on his very first pitch.
The 23-year-old Olson finished the regular season with a 4-8 record and a 3.53 ERA in 22 starts, after going 5-7 with a 3.99 ERA in 18 starts and three relief appearances as a rookie the previous year.
“He’s made a ton of starts for us,” Hinch said. “He’s really good, and part of his routine we don’t want to interrupt again.
“I think the challenge is always when you do as many openers as we’ve done and you use as many guys as we have, it always brings up the question if you should do it all the time. But we really believe in Reese.”
The Tigers got creative with their pitching staff after trading starter Jack Flaherty to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the July 30 trade deadline and sending reliever Andrew Chafin to Texas. Detroit won 31 of its last 44 games to secure a wild-card spot for its first playoff appearance in a decade.
