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Why AJ Hinch is trusting another rookie to lead Game 2 of ALDS

Why AJ Hinch is trusting another rookie to lead Game 2 of ALDS

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CLEVELAND – Tigers manager AJ Hinch threw a wrinkle at the Cleveland Guardians for Game 2 at Progressive Field.

Hinch has changed his lineup and will use rookie Justyn-Henry Malloy as the leadoff batter.

Malloy will face left-hander Matthew Boyd, the Tigers' former pitcher.

The main reason Malloy is in this game? Malloy has a .250 batting average against lefties with an OPS of .893.

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“He's at the top because he's a real threat against lefties,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said Tuesday afternoon. “He's a threat against righties too, but right now he's better against lefties, so the threat from the first pitch of the game tonight is real.”

Ideally, the Tigers would like Malloy to get on base ahead of Matt Vierling, Andy Ibáñez and Riley Greene.

“The ability to get on base before Matt Vierling and Andy before we get to Riley is really critical,” Hinch said. “He is ready for this challenge.”

Malloy has an incredible eye for the shot, but also has some power in his bat against lefties. He got seven extra base hits against lefties in just 48 at-bats.

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Malloy has only hit leadoff six times this season and has one hit, but there's another reason Hinch has Malloy in that leadoff spot, particularly as a designated hitter.

This gives Hinch the flexibility to use Kerry Carpenter ahead of Vierling later in the game.

Malloy played in both games in Houston and proved he can handle postseason pressure.

In Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, Malloy went 1-for-2 with a walk.

And in Game 2, he had a swing and landed a hit.

“He knows why he’s in this squad,” said Hinch. “He knows his role and is usually one step ahead in preparing for it. That's why I love getting him to hit and watching him through his development because after the last series he played a crucial role against their left-handed pitchers and I hope that's the case in this series too.”

Malloy is 24 years old and made his debut on June 3rd.

He actually played more this season than some would have thought in spring training because Kerry Carpenter and Riley Greene were injured and Parker Meadows was sent back to Triple-A Toledo.

That opened the door for Malloy to reach 202 at bats.

And all that experience gave Malloy a chance to grow, and it now gives Hinch flexibility.

“It's paying off now that he's playing a special role on a playoff team and trying to win today's game,” Hinch said. “When he was called up, there was a lot of talk about his zone control and his ability to get on base, and then people came right up to him and thought he was waiting for a walk, and that put him in swing mode . And now he's adjusted that again so that he's appropriately aggressive but also appropriately patient. And when you put that combination together, he’s very, very dangerous when he hits the right shot.”

Cleveland change

The Guardians added outfielder Angel Martínez to the 26-man roster and replaced outfielder Tyler Freeman, who suffered an oblique strain.

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Detroit Tigers Lineup vs. Cleveland GuardiansTigers Lineup Game 2:

  1. Justyn-Henry Malloy, DH
  2. Matt Vierling, 3B
  3. Andy Ibanez, 2B
  4. Riley Greene, LF
  5. Wenceel Perez, RF
  6. Spencer Torkelson, 1B
  7. Parker Meadows, C.F
  8. Jake Rogers, C
  9. Trey Sweeney, SS

Contact Jeff Seidel: [email protected]. Follow him on X @seideljeff. To read his latest columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel.

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