DETROIT -- Chris Paddack was at Target Field getting ready to play catch in his between-starts routine Monday afternoon when he got a heads-up from his agent that a trade might be coming down. Just as he was taking the field for his throwing work, he was called into Twins manager Rocco Baldelli’s office and told he’d been dealt to the division-rival Tigers.
“I had to call the GM here [in Detroit] and say, 'Am I allowed to play catch on the field?' Because now they're responsible,” Paddack said. “Just some business stuff that I'm not used to. They gave me the green light, and I played catch, did my stuff, said bye to all the guys, packed up my house in three hours, got my bass boat and truck ready to be shipped out and came in yesterday.”
Paddack had seen the Tigers for the past few years as an opponent. But poignantly, he had seen them in the AL Central and Wild Card standings down the stretch last season. He saw the Tigers’ late-season charge from the other side and was curious.
“I think it all started for me last year when they took our spot over there when I was with the Twins,” he said. “Y'all made some trades at the Deadline and you get some young, hungry guys that contribute any way they can and y'all start winning some games. It just happened so fast, and it was cool to see.
“I remember watching y'all's playoff games and it was just like, 'Man, that energy, that clubhouse, it looks fun, it looks exciting. I want to be a part of that.' Excited that I got the opportunity at the Deadline to contribute any way I can.”
Wednesday was a big first step. With six innings of one-run, three-hit ball and five strikeouts in his Tigers debut, Paddack not only helped the Tigers continue their momentum in a 7-2 win that sealed a three-game series sweep of the Diamondbacks, he continued his momentum from a similarly stingy outing against the Dodgers last week.
Paddack had largely struggled over seven starts before holding down the Dodgers, a pattern that fit what has been a roller-coaster season. He had been looking to build off that start before the trade went down. Once he slotted into Detroit’s rotation on Wednesday, it was up to the Tigers to help him carry that over.
Enter Jake Rogers, who had seen him from the other dugout. While Detroit rallied for a win on Tuesday night, Rogers and Paddack sat in the dugout and discussed his routine and tendencies.
“It was seamless,” Rogers said. “We got on the same page pretty quickly. There were a few shakeoffs that I told him just to be comfortable about taking. That’s kind of how I learn guys, and what they want to do and when they want to go to it. …
“I think we just kind of wanted to use everything and teeter-totter up and in, down and away, use his strengths, but also use other pitches to get them off his strengths. We’ve seen him before, so I’ve seen his starts and how we attack him.”
Paddack, acquired in the wake of Reese Olson’s right shoulder strain, looked at home in a spacious ballpark supported by a solid effort from Detroit’s offense. The big right-hander held Arizona to a Corbin Carroll double and two Geraldo Perdomo singles, the second of them scoring Carroll for Paddack’s lone run allowed in the fourth inning.
Though Paddack recorded just eight whiffs on 44 swings, half of those whiffs went for strikeouts. Meanwhile, he pounded the zone for 14 called strikes, nine on his fastball, and threw first-pitch strikes to 15 of his 20 batters. The Diamondbacks extended some at-bats, including a 24-pitch fifth inning in which Paddack retired the side in order, but Paddack finished strong by retiring his final eight batters in order following Perdomo’s RBI.
“Talking to Rog in our meeting this morning, I told him the biggest thing for me is attack and be fearless,” Paddack said. “I love pitching in the zone. That's kind of one of my strengths. When you kind of make a statement on a team that swings the bat, you're just in control. You're able to get out of the zone with two strikes, get them in swing mode. And that's where you're able to get into the sixth, seventh inning, saving the bullpen for an upcoming series, low pitch count, just quality innings. I think that's been a big factor in my career.”