The Tigers played the game they have played so well since mid-August, the matchup, with their pitchers sweeping the Astros from the wild-card series, culminating in Wednesday’s 5-2 win at Minute Maid Park.

The Tigers used seven pitchers in the Game 2 win, and none of them faced the same Astros hitter twice.

It was like so many Tigers games since they became popular in mid-August, when manager AJ Hinch and his staff turned traditional baseball on its head. It creates problems for opposing managers, who must decide whether to set the starting lineup for the opener who might only throw one inning, or who they think will be the first man out of the bullpen. Hinch called his pitching plans “chaos,” and the Astros couldn’t handle it.

“Yeah, it’s tough,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “We talked about it before the game started. So it creates challenges as a team because you get to see different arms, different angles, different things and different situations of the game. You could think of guys in scoring position, with the bases empty. You have to adapt. We were just one goal away from winning the series in the last two games.