DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Tigers plan to put right-hander Keider Montero on the mound against the Cleveland Guardians in Game 3 of their AL Division Series on Wednesday, when one team will earn an edge in the best-of-five series.
Cleveland will counter with righty Alex Cobb, whose previous appearance in the playoffs was in 2013 when he started two games for Tampa Bay.
The Tigers plan to use many pitchers in Game 3, just as they did twice previously in the playoffs and other times following trade-deadline deals that sent starter Jack Flaherty to the Los Angeles Dodgers and reliever Andrew Chafin to Texas.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch’s unconventional pitching strategy led to the team winning 31 of the last 44 games in the regular season, putting the franchise in the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
Detroit used seven pitchers in the second and final game of the Houston series and put five players on the mound in Game 1 against the Guardians.
Montero pitched two scoreless innings Saturday but Cleveland opened the series with a 7-0 victory. The 23-year-old Venezuelan gave up only one hit to the Guardians and had three strikeouts, leading to the Tigers giving him the ball for the third game.
He was 6-6 with a 4.76 ERA in the regular season, starting 16 times and pitching out of the bullpen three times, after making his major league debut in May.
The 37-year-old Cobb had hip surgery last Oct. 31 and hadn’t yet returned to the mound when he was acquired from San Francisco at the July 30 trade deadline.
The 2023 All-Star made his season debut Aug. 9 and was sidelined after two games by a torn nail on his right index finger. He was 2-1 with a 2.76 ERA in three games and 16 1/3 innings before going back on the injured list with a blister on his right middle finger to end his regular season.
Detroit made only one change after eliminating the AL West-champion Houston Astros in the wild-card round by putting Montero on the roster in place of righty Casey Mize, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft.
Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said Tanner Bibee will start Game 4 in Detroit on Thursday night, when one team will have a chance to advance.
Bibee pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings in Game 1 against Detroit. The 24-year-old righty was 12-8 with a 3.47 ERA over 31 starts in the regular season and is 22-12 with a 3.25 ERA during his two seasons in the majors.
The Tigers will likely lean on at least a handful of pitchers in the second of two games at Comerica Park.
