The Inexperienced Boyd Eager For Playoff Race
By Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
Leave it to the greenhorn to betray his excitement.
After the Tigers' 14-6 win on Friday night, their fourth in a row, reporters were milling about the locker room asking players if they're beginning to sense the urgency of a playoff race.
The soft-spoken Justin Upton played it safe.
"There's still a lot of baseball to be played, but we know how important it is to win ballgames at every point in the year. We're playing good and we gotta keep rolling," he said.
The matter-of-fact Nick Castellanos hardly flinched.
"We got a game today, we got a game tomorrow."
Asked if he's been watching the scoreboard or checking the standings – which now show the Tigers just 4.5 games behind the Indians in the A.L. Central – Castellanos brushed the notion aside.
"No," he chuckled.
For Upton and Castellanos, such nonchalance makes sense. Both of them have been in heated playoff races in the past. Castellanos played a key role on the 2014 Tigers team that went neck-and-neck with the Royals down the stretch, and Upton has been on three division-winning ball clubs in his ten-year career.
But Matt Boyd, as they say, hasn't been here before. The 25-year-old southpaw spent most of his 2015 rookie season with the last-place Tigers, pitching a string of meaningless games in August and September. Now, about a year later, he finds himself on a team that's surging back into playoff contention – and looking to him for help.
So while the season is still chugging along for Upton and Castellanos, it seems to have entered a different gear for Boyd.
He took the ball on Wednesday looking to extend the Tigers' three-game winning streak and build on the momentum they had gained in Boston. Boyd wasn't terrific, but he pitched well enough behind an explosive offense to pick up the victory. Afterward, when he was asked if it feels like a playoff race is taking hold, the newcomer wasn't so blasé.
"Heck, I mean why not? You know? We know what's going on," he said.
Boyd reverted to platitudes from there, but his initial response was a glimpse into his inexperience in this type of competitive atmosphere – especially in comparison to most of his more seasoned teammates. Moreover, it revealed his eagerness for the journey that lies ahead.
It's only July, but the Tigers are beginning to make a push. They are as close to the Indians as they've been since June 23 and are knocking on the door of the second wild card spot, as well.
The Tigers have a game today and a game tomorrow. And a whole lot more of them after that. But is a playoff race beginning to heat up?
Heck, why not?
