Game 2 of ALDS Is Must-Win Situation for Detroit Tigers Against Guardians
The Detroit Tigers will be getting set for Game 2 of the American League Divsional Series after losing in Game 1 to the Cleveland Guardians.
It was a tough Game 1 of the ALDS for the Detroit Tigers. Coming into the game, the team was going with a similar plan to what they did against the Houston Astros in the second game of the American League Wild Card Round. However, things got off to a bad start, as Detroit allowed five runs in the first inning and the game was basically over before it started.
While it wasn’t a pretty loss for the Tigers, it was just one game and now, after a day off, they will be aiming to even up the series.
Heading into Game 2, Detroit will have the massive edge in the starting pitcher matchup, as Tarik Skubal will be facing off against his former teammate, Matthew Boyd. Skubal was excellent against the Astros in the Wild Card Round, as he went six scoreless innings.
For the Tigers, they are going to need another masterful performance by their ace against the Guardians, as this game feels like a must-win spot. While Detroit will be going home after this game, being down 2-0 in a best of five series is not the place the Tigers want to be.
Due to the pitching rotation being a bit of a question mark, any game that Skubal pitches in is going to feel like a must-win scenario. While that might be ideal, leaning on the likely American League Cy Young award winner isn’t a bad thing for Detroit.
A.J. Hinch has already shown that he is excellent at pushing the right buttons with his pitchers out of the bullpen to help steal games, and good starts from the southpaw help make that much easier.
The Tigers have a lot of talented arms out of the bullpen, but one team they might not want to get into a bullpen battle with is Cleveland. The Guardians arguably have the best bullpen in all baseball, and Detroit certainly doesn’t want them to have a lead late.
In Game 2, it will be important for Detroit to get a little lead early and let their ace get to work against the Cleveland lineup. While it’s only Game 2 for Detroit, and they have yet to play a home game in this series, this certainly feels like a must-win game with Skubal taking the mound.
