AL DIVISION SERIES: TIGERS VS GUARDIANS

October 10, 2024

Lane Thomas

Comerica Park

Cleveland Guardians

Pregame 4 Press Conference

Q. Lane, what has made the Tigers' pitching so hard to hit these last two games?

LANE THOMAS: I think we've gotten some hits. I just think the timely hitting hasn't been there. I feel like yesterday we had close to the same amount of hits. We just left some guys on in that first inning and throughout that game. The other way around, I think it would be obviously a little different. But, yeah, we just gotta get good hits when we're supposed to get them.

Q. Lane, how do you process, I guess, like the pressure and the stakes here, but also wanting to not succumb to that when you're in the batter's box?

LANE THOMAS: I think just knowing you're prepared. Sticking to the plan. We have meetings just like we would in the regular season over approaches off these guys and different -- you know, how we're going to go into the game and hit these certain guys.

So I don't think there's any added pressure. I think the questions like that, I think, come up and you answer them how you can, but I think it's just more of going in and preparing like we have all year and going about it like a normal day, as much as you can, obviously, yeah.

Q. Lane, you had the home run the first pitch you even saw in the playoffs. Do you think that just simply scoring a run early or something might be what this team needs to get going?

LANE THOMAS: Yeah. I mean, I think anytime you can take a run early, I think we would love that. But, yeah, like I said earlier, I think it's just more of that situational hitting is the biggest thing. We gotta move runners and get base hits with guys in scoring position. I think our pitching is good enough like it has been all year, to stop them from scoring. So I think we'll get back to that.

Q. What has the experience been like to be in this series where the Tigers are bringing in so many pitchers, you guys are pinch-hitting so much and there are so many moving parts back and forth?

LANE THOMAS: Yeah. Maybe it's because I haven't been in the playoffs the last little bit. But I feel like it's getting more common. They're using pitchers, like if some of those starters aren't necessarily starting a game, using them in the middle of the game. It's been interesting for me, too. Sometimes you see it in double-headers or if they bring a guy up for that.

Yeah, I think it's interesting. It's definitely worked for teams or they wouldn't keep doing it. So I think we just try to prepare as best we can like we would facing them in those later innings.

Q. Lane, when Alex Cobb got here, he told us that he felt like this clubhouse had as much energy and fun as any one he's been a part of. I think you alluded a little bit to that when you were traded here. On a day like today, where you know there's a lot at stake, how are you guys trying to stay loose and also stay focused, kind of balancing those two things?

LANE THOMAS: Yeah. I think not changing anything. Just going about our day, how we have been all year and just preparing the best you can to where you go out, success or not success, that you can look back and say that you prepared the best you could.

So I think everybody's on the same page. So I think that's what we're going to do today and go out and try to score some runs.