Chris Paddack suddenly finds himself with the American League Central leaders, and the Detroit Tigers have high hopes for him.
Paddack, a 29-year-old right-hander, was acquired by Detroit from the Minnesota Twins on Monday. He will make his Tigers debut in the finale of a three-game series against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday afternoon, with Detroit vying for a sweep.
The Tigers announced on Monday that Reese Olson would miss at least the remainder of the regular season due to a shoulder injury. The front office made a swift move to replace Olson in the rotation.
“One of the things I wanted to emphasize to him is that we believe in him,” Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said. “We believe he can help us win. I told him the only people who walk into our clubhouse are guys who we think can help us win. We’re excited to get him.”
Statistically, Paddack (3-9, 4.95 ERA) has much to prove. He has delivered only five quality starts — going at least six innings while permitting three earned runs or fewer — in 21 outings this season.
“We’re going to push him to be better,” Hinch said. “Just like we do all of our players. We have a great clubhouse and we’re welcoming him with open arms. I wanted him to know that.”
Paddack’s latest start was promising. He held the Los Angeles Dodgers to one run and four hits in six innings on July 23, striking out eight without issuing a walk.
In his previous two outings, Paddack allowed 11 runs and 19 hits across 10 innings. He is 2-3 with a 3.22 ERA in nine career starts against Arizona.
Right-hander Ryne Nelson (6-2, 3.29 ERA), Paddack’s mound opponent on Wednesday, has posted four quality starts in his past five outings. Nelson has only allowed one run and five hits combined in his past two starts, spanning 12 innings.
He limited the Pittsburgh Pirates to one hit in six scoreless innings on Friday. Nelson is 1-1 with a 7.45 ERA in two career outings against Detroit.
The Diamondbacks got very good news on Tuesday regarding Eugenio Suarez, one of the most talked-about players ahead of the Thursday trade deadline. The slugging third baseman was hit by a pitch in the series opener on Monday. A CT scan and MRI exam revealed no fractures on the right index finger that was struck by Will Vest’s fastball.
Suarez sat out on Tuesday but could be in the lineup on Wednesday if he’s not dealt to a contender by that point.
“I’ve been traded three times in my career, but never in the middle of the season,” he said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen or where I’m going.
“When you have a trade in the offseason, everything is different because you start from the beginning. Now, in the middle of the season, you don’t know where you are going. You don’t know what’s going to be your role or whatever. That’s why I try not to think too much about it.”
The Tigers have won three straight, including the first two games of the current series. They pounded out 11 extra-base hits in a 12-2 thumping of the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, Arizona’s seventh defeat in eight games.