The Tigers' offense needs a spark. A.J. Hinch is hoping to provide one by shuffling his lineup for Game 3 of the ALDS Tuesday afternoon against the Mariners.
Hinch is moving Kerry Carpenter to the leadoff spot and Colt Keith to the three hole to get two of his best left-handed bats as many hacks as possible against Mariners right-handed starter Logan Gilbert. Righty Gleyber Torres will likely hit second.
Leading off Carpenter, who's been one of Detroit's only dangerous bats in the postseason, forces Mariners manager Dan Wilson to "make decisions faster" as the game unfolds, said Hinch. If Gilbert makes it through the Tigers' order twice, Wilson might not want him to navigate it a third time with Carpenter and Keith looming at the top. That could prompt an early call to the bullpen.
"That 19th hitter makes for a really quick decision with Gilbert and gives us an option to have a big bat get as many at-bats as we can before they try to bring (reliever Gabe) Speier in," said Hinch.
The Tigers are hitting just .186 with a .545 OPS in the playoffs, the worst marks among the eight teams still standing. They also have the most strikeouts, with 59 in five games. Hinch is hoping that a different look at the top of the lineup will also create some better matchups for Riley Greene, the Tigers' other hitter who's done some damage in the postseason, "and make (Seattle's) decisions a little bit harder with how they’re attacking Carp and Greeney."
Batting Keith third allows Hinch to either "use him as a place where I can pinch-hit" with a right-handed bat like Wenceel Perez, Jahmai Jones or Andy Ibañez if the Mariners go to a lefty, "or they've gotta give him another at-bat against a right-handed pitcher with Gilbert."
The logic is sound. Ultimately, it's up to the Tigers' hitters to execute the game plan against an elite pitching staff.
"I got asked yesterday, 'What are you going to do to get these guys to hit?' and I sort of wanted to laugh," said Hinch. "It’s not as simple as, snap your fingers and Seattle's pitching staff becomes garbage. They’re good, and we’ve gotta stay in that fight and pick the right pitches to swing at and be aggressive at the right time but also be patient.
"It’s easy to say, we want a little more contact, a little more run production, but the first two games show you how this series is going to go where it's a one-run game, and a big swing, a big defensive play, a big punch-out by a pitcher are key parts of the day. We’re working and we’re obviously pushing these guys, but we’re also facing some of the best arms."