AL Contender’s Rotation Tweak Can Impact Final Red Sox Series

The Boston Red Sox weren’t the only team to alter their starting rotation for the regular season’s last week.

Boston swapped Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello in the order, bumping the left-handed star’s next start up to Wednesday. The Red Sox’s final opponent made a similar move with Crochet’s American League Cy Young Award competitor.

The Detroit Tigers moved Tarik Skubal’s scheduled start to Tuesday, per The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen. He’ll start a monumental three-game set against the Cleveland Guardians, who trail the Tigers by just one game in the AL Central.

This change also allows Skubal to pitch Sunday’s game against the Red Sox on regular rest, if necessary.

Boston shifted Crochet’s start to Wednesday in hopes of giving him an extra day of rest before starting a potential Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series. It also theoretically gives the Red Sox the option to pitch their ace on three days’ rest if they need a Sunday win to make the playoffs.

So there’s an outside, albeit unlikely chance that Skubal and Crochet face off with massive postseason implications to conclude the regular season. The Red Sox would also get one last chance to swing a two-man AL Cy Young Award race.

Skubal looks poised to successfully defend his crown with a 2.23 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 233 strikeouts in 189 1/3 innings. Boston would have to do a number on the 28-year-old to give Crochet a fighting chance.

That could all be a moot point if the Tigers secure the AL Central before the final weekend. Detroit would also love to save Skubal for their first postseason game, possibly against Boston.

The Tigers were running away with the division before losing nine of their last 10 games. That includes a three-game sweep at the hands of Cleveland, which conversely snapped a 10-game winning streak on Sunday.

Boston and Detroit enter the final weekend with an identical 85-71 record, so the AL Central race could impact the Red Sox’s wild-card chase. They’re one game ahead of the Guardians and Houston Astros before a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays, who clinched a playoff spot (but not the division) on Sunday.