After a floundering finish to the regular season, the Detroit Tigers are playoff-bound and will open up Game 1 of the American League Wild Card against the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday afternoon
Unsurprisingly, the Tigers will send All-Star starting pitcher Tarik Skubal to the mound in hopes that he can set the tone against a Guardians squad that won the season series over Detroit, which included a six-game winning streak in the final weeks of the season.
As for the second game of this wild-card series, fans already know that the Tigers will be facing Guardians right-handed starter Tanner Bibee. However, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch still hasn’t decided on who will oppose Bibee in the pivotal Game 2.
According to Evan Woodbery of MLive, Hinch told reporters on Monday that Jack Flaherty and Casey Mize are the two most likely candidates to start, and added, “Both have strengths that could help us.”
Casey Mize or Jack Flaherty Could Start Game 2 for Tigers
Between the two starters, Tigers fans would likely want to see Mize on the mound. He pitched well in the regular season (14-6, 3.87 ERA in 28 starts) en route to being named a first-time MLB All-Star.
After a rocky July (6.32 ERA) and August (5.81 ERA), Mize locked in for the final month of the regular season. In five starts, the former No. 1 overall pick had a 2-1 record and 3.49 ERA. He gave up 27 hits, 11 earned runs (four home runs), and four walks, but struck out 32 batters across 28.1 innings of work. Mize’s strikeout per 9 was a season’s best 10.2 this month, while opponents were held to a .245 average and .708 OPS at the plate.
The 28-year-old Mize has also fared well against Cleveland this season, posting a 1-0 record and 2.08 ERA in three starts, which could weigh heavily into Hinch’s decision. In those starts, Cleveland only hit .224 at the plate.
Meanwhile, for Flaherty, the 2025 regular season was one to forget as he posted an 8-15 record and 4.64 ERA. He got hit around in August (5.51 ERA/.267 OBA in six starts), but bounced back in September with a 3.86 ERA and .232 OBA.
In fact, two of Flaherty’s last starts came against the Guardians, which ended in losses for the Tigers. Still, the veteran righty only gave up four combined earned runs, eight total hits, and racked up 10 strikeouts.
Flaherty isn’t unfamiliar with postseason baseball, as he helped the Los Angeles Dodgers win the World Series last season, so he’s battle-tested and has been atop the mountain — something the Tigers haven't done since 1984.
If I were Hinch, I’d go with Mize, who was the Tigers' second-best pitcher all season. If Skubal has his Cy Young stuff, combined with the offense scratching across a few runs to steal Game 1, Detroit can throw Mize out there to close out the series to avoid a potential Game 3 with Flaherty.