If MLB insider Ken Rosenthal was hoping to reach a captive audience of Detroit Tigers fans with his latest column for The Athletic (subscription required), perhaps he should have worded the opening line a bit differently.
"If you’re a Detroit Tigers fan worrying about what the postseason rotation will look like beyond Tarik Skubal, relax," Rosenthal wrote. "It’s not that big a deal."
Telling fans how to feel, right off the jump? That usually goes over well. But even beyond the dismissive and condescending tone, there's more to critique about Rosenthal's statement.
MLB insider Ken Rosenthal has tone deaf assessment of Tigers’ playoff pitching staff
Rosenthal went on to argue that Tigers manager AJ Hinch's recent strategy with his pitching staff – yanking starters early and relying on "pitching chaos" in the bullpen – downplayed the importance of individual performances by Jack Flaherty, Charlie Morton and Casey Mize behind Skubal in the Tigers' rotation.