Tigers return to Cleveland for Wild Card Series after falling short of AL Central title

Audio By Carbonatix

BOSTON (AP) — The Detroit Tigers are heading back to the familiar surroundings of Progressive Field in Cleveland after a short diversion to Boston.

Detroit will be on the road to face the Guardians in a best-of-three Wild Card Series starting Tuesday after Cleveland claimed the AL Central title on the last day of the regular season. The teams met six times in the season's last 12 games as the Guardians completed an unprecedented charge to the division crown.

“We’re going to Cleveland, which is where we just came from, and we’ll get to work,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said on Sunday after a 4-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox cost Detroit a chance at the division championship.

“We’ll make sure that we don’t take for granted that we know this team,” Hinch said. “We’re going to have to turn over every rock and make sure we’re prepared, and our guys will be ready.”

Cleveland (88-74) won the season series 8-5, including five of the six matchups with Detroit (87-75) over the last two weeks, as the Guardians rallied from a 15 1/2-game deficit in the division. That was enough to move them past Detroit, and the reason their playoff series will take place in Cleveland starting on Tuesday.

“Obviously, we know what kind of team they have,” Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler said. “It’s a clean slate now. So we’re not going to worry about anything that’s happened. And we’re going to move forward and we’re going to have a lot of fun.”

Hinch said Sunday he went back and forth on whether to go all-out for the division crown, but in the end opted for a lineup that got his regulars some rest. Tigers ace Tarik Skubal had been lined up to start the regular-season finale, but Hinch scratched him on Saturday once Detroit clinched at least a wild-card berth so he could pitch the playoff opener.

Skubal gave up just two earned runs in 12 innings over his previous two starts — both against the Guardians — but Detroit lost both games. He said there are advantages and disadvantages to playing a team so many times in a short period.

But none of that matters now.

“I don’t really care,” Skubal said. “It’s the postseason. This is what you prepare for.”

___

AP MLB: https://www.apnews.com/hub/MLB