Detroit Tigers vs Cleveland Guardians in AL wild card for MLB playoffs
On “Days of Roar,” Evan Petzold and Chris Brown discuss the Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Guardians in the AL wild-card series, plus Riley Greene.
The Detroit Tigers will face the Seattle Mariners in Game 1 of the ALDS on Saturday, Oct. 4, but at this point, we don’t know who will be pitching for either team.
The Tigers’ three-game wild-card series victory, clinched with a 6-3 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday, Oct. 2, sends the Tigers to the ALDS for the second year in a row. But because of the squeezed schedule between the end of the regular season and the beginning of the ALDS, the Tigers don’t have an obvious Game 1 starter lined up.
Their usual Game 1 starter, Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal, pitched a 14-strikeout gem on Tuesday and would be on very-short rest for Game 1. Starters Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty would be on even shorter rest as they pitched Games 2 and 3 of the Cleveland series, respectively.
So, who is going to take the hill for the Tigers? Let’s take a look at some options.
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Keider Montero
Tigers right-hander Keider Montero was the man for jobs like this during the regular season, serving as a spot starter for injured pitchers or during situations where the Tigers wanted to extend rest for pitchers like Skubal.
Montero was also pretty good in his role in 2025, pitching to a 5-3 record with a 4.37 ERA over 90â…” innings, which included 12 starts and 20 total appearances. He also had a clutch performance in his final appearance of the regular season, allowing one run over 4â…“ innings in a 2-1 win against the Boston Red Sox in the second-to-last game of the season on Sept. 27.
Montero should be available, as he was on the wild-card series roster, though he didn’t pitch against the Guardians in the three-game series in Cleveland.
Troy Melton
Rookie reliever Troy Melton was already on the Tigers wild-card roster, so the team wouldn’t have to jettison anyone off the roster should they want Melton as their Game 1 starter.
Melton has also made four starts in his debut season, pitching to a 3.05 ERA over 20â…” innings, which is admittedly a small sample size that might not matter once the playoff intensity ramps up.
And since Melton was the pitcher on the mound when the Guardians started their Game 2 offensive barrage, fans might wince at the idea of Melton getting a sudden postseason promotion. But if the Tigers are looking for a starter without having to call Triple-A Toledo, then Melton might be the guy.
Tyler Holton
The Tigers found themselves in a similar situation following the 2024 wild-card series win over the Houston Astros, needing a starter for Game 1 against the Guardians without a clear favorite. Tyler Holton took the mound with Reese Olson lining up as a piggyback, and it didn’t exactly work out for the Tigers.
Holton didn’t even record an out, allowing four earned runs and getting the loss in the Guardians’ 7-0 shellacking in Game 1. Surely the Tigers wouldn’t try that again, right?
If the team likes the matchups with Holton as the opener, then maybe it’s still not a bad idea, especially if someone like Montero or Melton could be available for long relief after that. But it would certainly look like an odd choice after what happened in 2024.
Sawyer Gipson-Long
Tigers pitcher Sawyer Gipson-Long served a similar purpose as Montero over the regular season in more limited opportunities, and pitched nearly as well as Montero in June before an injury disrupted his performance in the second half.
The Tigers likely wouldn’t go to Gipson-Long over Montero or Melton for a couple of reasons, however. One, Montero pitched better than Gipson-Long and recently shined in a similar role. And two, Gipson-Long is still recovering from neck stiffness, from which he entered the 15-day IL on Sept. 12 (and hasn’t pitched since).
But if the Tigers like the matchups with Gipson-Long against Seattle’s hitters, and if he shows he’s healthy, there is a slim possibility he could make the ALDS roster.
How about Reese Olson?
This one has basically no chance of happening.
Reese Olson has been on the 60-day IL since suffering a right shoulder strain on July 28. The most optimistic prognosis on Olson has always been a return late in the playoffs, and the latest prognosis has him maybe coming back for a potential World Series start.
But if the Tigers found themselves in that position, Olson would be a huge add at just the right time.
You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This story was updated to reflect Keider Montero’s playoff roster status.