The Cleveland Guardians have eight left-handed hitters and three switch-hitters on their roster. In Game 1 against Tigers lefty Tarik Skubal, they will have an incredible six left-handed hitters on their bench, perhaps ready for a line change whenever the Tigers turn to their bullpen.
The Tigers, meanwhile, have only two left-handed relievers in their playoff bullpen. It’s an interesting choice, but the Tigers hope Skubal can provide a lengthy Game 1 start, and they plan to have lefties Tyler Holton and Brant Hurter available for all three games.
With lefty Bailey Horn still stuck in the 15-day option cycle, rookie Drew Sommers would have been the Tigers’ only real choice to add a third lefty. The Tigers likely would not have wanted to use Sommers in a key spot, so carrying him would have been performative at best.
The Tigers throughout the year let go a host of other left-handed relievers such as Andrew Chafin (a 2.41 ERA with the Nationals and Angels), PJ Poulin (a 3.65 ERA with the Nationals), Dietrich Enns (a 3.14 ERA with the Orioles) and Matt Gage (a 3.91 ERA with the Giants).
Those decisions look costly now. Other Tigers’ righties such as Will Vest and Kyle Finnegan handle lefties well. But when you look at matchups that can determine this series, the Tigers’ bullpen against Cleveland’s left-handed hitters is a good place to start.