Casey Mize left the ALDS squad

“I think Tanner had a great year right out of the gate last year,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said Friday. “He made a name for himself and went through some problems early in the season – I don’t want to call them difficulties, but he had a few hiccups for the first time in his major league career. “He’s really been under pressure since then. He is competitive. This kid wants the ball in big moments. And Tanner wants to be that guy. He believes he is number one. And we do that too. And I’m really excited to see him prove that in the playoffs.”

Although the Tigers’ roster has changed dramatically in the last two months, Hinch has extensive knowledge of the Guardians, a team the Tigers have faced 13 times.

“I think familiarity is both a good thing and a trap,” Hinch said. “You know, we can be reasonably confident that we’re going to get here with a few at-bats on some of their pitchers. They competed against some of our pitchers. But that doesn’t mean you won’t learn as much and prepare as well. If anything, you’ll do it even more to make sure you don’t miss anything because of that familiarity. It’s beautiful and practical.”