Detroit Tigers shutout Minnesota Twins, 3-0, to take series with divisional rivals; Recap

Detroit Tigers (51-63) vs. Minnesota Twins (60-56)

When: 1:10 p.m. Thursday.

Where: Comerica Park in Detroit.

TV: Bally Sports Detroit.

Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1) in Detroit (Tigers radio affiliates).

Starting pitchers: Tigers RHP Reese Olson (1-5, 4.94 ERA) vs. Twins RHP Kenta Maeda (3-6, 4.22 ERA).

SAD NEWS: Detroit Tigers radio announcer Jim Price, role player for 1968 World Series team, dies

• Box score

Tigers lineup:

CF Matt Vierling
DH Riley Greene
2B Andy Ibáñez
1B Spencer Torkelson
RF Kerry Carpenter
SS Javier Báez
C Jake Rogers
LF Zach McKinstry
3B Zack Short

Game notes: The Tigers will close out their series with the AL Central-leading Twins with an afternoon game at Comerica Park. It won’t be long before the two teams square off again, though. Both squads have a three-game series on the schedule before they meet again for a two-game series in Minneapolis on Tuesday.

For the finale of this series, the Tigers will have rookie Reese Olson on the mound, who has flashed signs of brilliance but also has been inconsistent at times and has struggled in his last three appearances.

In his past three starts, against the San Diego Padres, Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays, Olson has allowed 13 runs combined, including at least four runs in every outing. Prior to the All-Star break, Olson was looking sharp, and that even continued to his first start after the break against the Seattle Mariners on July 16, when Olson allowed two runs in 5⅓ innings. Since then he has struggled, but the Twins provide a good opportunity for Olson to bounce back against a team he could get to know very well over the coming years.

On the other side, the Tigers will face Kenta Maeda, who has actually been better this year than his numbers may suggest. Back on April 26, Maeda allowed 10 runs on 11 hits in just three innings against the New York Yankees. Shortly after that, he was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right tricep strain. He was recalled on June 23 and has looked darn good. In eight appearances since returning from injury, he has allowed more than two runs just once, a day when he didn’t have his best stuff against the Oakland Athletics and allowed three runs in three innings. Maeda has an ERA of just 2.47 since June 23. He allowed just one hit and one run in six innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks in his most recent outing, so it doesn’t seem like he’s going slow down any time soon.