Two AL Central teams will meet in the ALDS this year. The Detroit Tigers swept the Houston Astros in the Wild Card Series for their first postseason series win since 2013. They will face the AL Central-winning Cleveland Guardians in the best-of-five ALDS. The winner of this series will take on either the Kansas City Royals or New York Yankees in the ALCS.
You can find the full 2024 MLB playoff bracket here. And here is the ALDS schedule:
|
Game 1 |
Sat., Oct. 5 |
1:08 p.m. ET |
TBS |
|
Game 2 |
Mon., Oct. 7 |
4:08 p.m. ET |
TBS |
|
Game 3 |
Weds., Oct. 9 |
TBA |
TBS |
| Game 4 (if necessary) | Thurs., Oct. 10 | TBA | TBS |
| Game 5 (if necessary) | Sat., Oct. 12 | TBA | TBS |
Where to watch Game 1
Date: Saturday, Oct. 5 | Time: 1:08 p.m. ET
Location: Progressive Field (Cleveland)
Channel: TBS
Probable pitchers: RHP Tanner Bibee (12-8, 3.47 ERA) vs. TBA
Odds: CLE -155 | DET +130; over/under: 7.0
TBA has been Detroit’s best pitcher the last two months. Well, no, it’s been Tarik Skubal, but the Tigers have masterfully navigated the last few weeks with a series of bullpen games and openers behind the likely Cy Young winner. They used seven pitchers, none for more than five outs, in their Game 2 win over the Astros. Cleveland does not use bullpen games to the same extreme, but clearly, the bullpen is the strength of their team.
Here now is what you need to know about each team heading into the ALDS:
Guardians: The Guardians did not just have a good bullpen this season. They had a historically great bullpen. It’s the best bullpen on record at 13.7 WAR — the next best bullpen this year was at 9.1 WAR — and it is led by all-world closer Emmanuel Clase, who had a 0.61 ERA in 74 1/3 innings. For Cleveland, the name of the game is getting just enough offense and just enough starting pitching, then turn things over to a deep and diverse relief crew. They have lefties, righties, hard-throwers, changeup specialists, you name it. Steven Kwan, José Ramírez, and Josh Naylor are the keys to the offense. The rest of the lineup is not overly imposing.
Tigers: There is a “how are they doing it?” vibe to this Tigers team, but they are doing it, and they are never out of a game, as the Astros learned in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series. Manager A.J. Hinch uses his entire bench to mix and match expertly, and the same goes for the pitching staff behind Skubal. Skubal will be able to start Games 2 and 5 of the ALDS on normal rest. If the Guardians take care of business in four games or fewer, they would only see the league’s best pitcher once in the series. The Tigers though have shown they are more than formidable on the days Skubal does not pitch. Hinch referred to his team as “chaos” before the Wild Card Series and that’s what the Tigers are. You never quite know what they’re going to throw at you.
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