Paddack fares poorly in Tigers 'pen debut -- then reveals bigger concern

DETROIT – Chris Paddack was asked after the Tigers’ 12-5 loss to the Mets on Tuesday night at Comerica Park how he could be better out of the bullpen going forward.

It was a pitching question for a veteran starter after just the fourth relief appearance in his seven-year Major League career. It was a reminder that not everything with players involves metrics, mechanics or on-field matters.

“Mentally, this game has done some things to me this year,” said Paddack, who referenced being “in a hole.”

This has been a challenging season for Paddack in a contract year. He had a long road back from Tommy John surgery in 2022, then saw last season end for him in mid-summer due to a right forearm strain. After an up-and-down summer with the Twins this year, he was traded across the American League Central to the Tigers before the Trade Deadline, learning a new team while joining a playoff race.

After middling results over six starts with Detroit, Paddack was told Monday he’s moving to the bullpen. He spent Monday’s series opener in the Tigers’ bullpen as an observer, looking to see how relievers prepare, how they get their arms ready.

After seeing how relievers answer the call, Paddack heard the phone ring on Tuesday night, and the answer wasn’t what he or the Tigers were looking for. Eight hits over 10 batters in a six-run seventh inning put the Mets into double digits and left Paddack being booed off the mound with two outs. But after answering questions about his pitching struggles, it was clear Paddack had much heavier things on his mind.

“We're human beings,” Paddack said. “I won't be here for the next three days. I'm going to spend time with my family. I had a family member pass away …”

Paddack choked up, fighting back tears, before gathering himself.

“And I want to be there for my family,” the native Texan continued. “And hopefully that's a little reset for me, to be able to go back home and hug the loved ones. The reason why I play this game is for them.”

It has been a trying week for Paddack, at a time when the Tigers have a lot going on. Manager A.J. Hinch dropped the news of Paddack’s role change as an aside at the end of his pregame media sessions, so no one would be caught off-guard to see Paddack warming. The visual evidence came a few hours later while the Mets batted around in the fourth inning on newly recalled starter Sawyer Gipson-Long.

As Hinch tries to piece together a pitching staff built for the postseason, Tuesday was his chance to figure out if Paddack – who struggled to a 5.40 ERA and a 6.16 FIP in six starts following his trade from Minnesota – could fit as a bulk reliever.

“The hope for anybody that you send to the ‘pen is that it’s going to ease the pressure of the beginning of the game, the first inning, or the one-time-through [the lineup] idea,” Hinch said.

For a moment, the results were encouraging. Paddack stranded two runners, one of which he inherited from Bailey Horn, the other reaching on an error, in his first inning of relief in two years by fanning Francisco Lindor on a changeup to end the sixth. It was Paddack’s first strikeout since Aug. 23, a stretch of 75 pitches between strikeouts.

The encouragement didn’t last long. The Mets batted around on Paddack in the seventh inning, starting with back-to-back home runs from Juan Soto and Pete Alonso that began a string of five consecutive hits. Soto came back around to chase Paddack with a single in the same inning, bringing Hinch out with the hook and sending Paddack to the dugout to a chorus of boos.

“He got through [the first inning], and then he goes back out and they just put a ton of at-bats in a row against him that were rough,” Hinch said.

Ironically, the Mets’ aggressiveness gave Paddack the swings and misses he had been lacking as a starter; his six whiffs in 41 pitches marked his second-highest total as a Tiger and more than his last two starts combined (four). But he didn’t see the expected uptick in velocity except for his sinker, according to Statcast.

Paddack was more concerned about how the Mets attacked his changeup, leaving him wondering if he was tipping the pitch. He also noted how he got more swinging strikes out of the stretch. He’ll see what he can gather from that in a few days. For now, he has bigger matters.

“We have to continue to stay strong,” Paddack said, “and I have some things that I need to fix to help this team win.”