AJ Hinch's explanation for Riley Greene pinch hit won't distract from Tigers reality

Through two games in the American League Wild Card series, the Detroit Tigers have managed just three runs total off the Cleveland Guardians' pitching staff. In Game 1, behind a dominant Tarik Skubal performance, the paltry offense wasn't enough to hold them back. The same couldn't be said for Game 2.

The Tigers have a problem. Several, really, but they're all somewhat connected. The club can't hit with runners in scoring position, and their lackluster offensive output has put a strain on a weak bullpen, ultimately costing them Game 2 and giving the pesky Guardians another lease on life.

Perhaps nothing exemplified this more than AJ Hinch's decision to pinch-hit for Riley Greene in the seventh inning. Detroit had Cleveland's Hunter Gaddis on the ropes. The lefty began the inning by hitting Gleyber Torres with a pitch, and then Torres would go to third as the following batter, Kerry Carpenter, singled to center.

Hinch sent righty Jahmai Jones to the plate in place of the left-handed Greene following a Spencer Torkelson flyout with the chance to take the lead and start a rally. Instead, Jones would strike out. So too would Wenceel Perez, and with that, the threat was over.

AJ Hinch's justification of pinch-hitting for Riley Greene only highlights the Tigers' glaring flaw

If it seems strange that the Tigers would pinch hit for their home run leader and the guy who posted the highest wRC+ on the team, that's because it is. Greene crushed 36 long balls this season and posted a 121 wRC+, so even with the disadvantageous matchup against the lefty, you'd expect him to get a shot over a bench piece, right?

According to Hinch, it was more about Jones than it was Greene. In his postgame comments, Hinch elaborated, "It was not a knock on Riley... it's a competition, one-on-one, and they won a lot of them."

It sort of is an indictment of Greene, though. Greene set the team record for most strikeouts in a single season with 201, but he's far from alone in Detroit's whiff-prone lineup. The Tigers had the fourth-highest strikeout rate in all of baseball this season, coming in at 23.9%.

Things have been even worse of late. In the final descent of their downward spiral that cost them the division, that number rose to 28% over the club's final 16 games, with three players, including Greene, posting rates north of 30%.

On that list by Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press are some of the biggest bats in the Tigers' lineup, including Torkelson (pushing 40%), Perez, Kerry Carpenter, and, of course, Greene.

This all has continued during the series against Cleveland. Through two games, the Tigers have struck out a whopping 24 times in 78 plate appearances, coming in with a rate of 30.8% as a team.

Heading into a must-win Game 3 on Thursday, they're going to need to cut down on the Ks if they hope to advance and keep their chances at a deep playoff run alive. If not, addressing this issue could be a key focus in the offseason.

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