The Detroit Tigers got off to a rough start to their 10-game road trip, dropping three of four to the Los Angeles Angels out west to continue their slide down the American League Central standings. Two more stops remain on the schedule before the team heads back to Comerica Park, with the Minnesota Twins first on the docket.
The Twinkies reside in the second spot seven games behind the division-leading Cleveland Guardians heading into the series on Tuesday having won six of their last eight. They have also won three straight series while AJ Hinch’s squad has lost two in a row.
Below is a look at the pitching matchups for this week’s series in Minneapolis between Detroit and Minnesota.
Detroit Tigers (38-46) at Minnesota Twins (47-37)
Times (ET): Tuesday: 7:40 p.m.; Wednesday: 8:10 p.m.; Thursday: 2:10 p.m.
Place: Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota
SB Nation Site: Twinkie Town
Media: Bally Sports Detroit, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 85 Pitching Matchup
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
| Skubal | 97.0 | 29.1 | 4.9 | 2.69 | 2.8 |
| Woods Richardson | 66.0 | 20.5 | 7.0 | 3.64 | 1.1 |
Game 85: LHP Tarik Skubal (9-3, 2.3) vs. RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (3-1, 3.41 ERA)
Skubal had a superb bounce-back effort last time out against the Philadelphia Phillies, spinning seven run-free innings allowing three hits and a walk while striking out seven in the win. The 27-year-old faced the Twins on April 12 in Detroit, lasting just five frames but keeping the opponent scoreless on two hits and two walks while striking out five — also for the win.
Woods Richardson is in his third major league season and first one in which he has seen substantial innings. The 23-year-old has shown some inconsistency, bouncing between effective and ineffective starts, particularly in June. If one smooths the data over that five-game stretch, they get a 4.50 ERA and a 4.43 FIP over 26 innings; considering he started the month with a 2.70 ERA, things have been trending in the wrong direction for the youngster. His strong season debut in Detroit is well in the past now.
Game 86 Pitching Matchup
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
| Flaherty | 89.0 | 33.0 | 4.0 | 3.05 | 2.1 |
| Festa | 5.0 | 8.7 | 4.3 | 5.56 | 0.0 |
Game 86: RHP Jack Flaherty (5-5, 3.24 ERA) vs. RHP David Festa (1-0, 9.00 ERA)
Flaherty had a bit of a hiccup last time out against the Angels, getting tagged for five runs on seven hits (three home runs) and a walk while striking out seven in 5 2⁄3 innings. Prior to that, the 28-year-old strung together four starts allowing just one run on a solo shot over 22 1⁄3 innings while issuing just four walks against 27 strikeouts. In his two starts against the Twinkies during mid-April, the righty put up a 3.65 ERA and 3.32 FIP over 12 1⁄3 innings, walking three and striking out 18 while earning a quality start.
Festa is a rookie straight off the farm who prepares to make his second big league start on Wednesday after a bit of a rough introduction to the majors. The 24-year-old allowed five runs on seven hits (one home run) and a walk while striking out two over five frames. Baseball Savant has three pitches listed for the greenhorn: four-seam fastball (95.8 mph), slider (87.1 mph) and changeup (88.9 mph).
Game 87 Pitching Matchup
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
| Maeda | 59.1 | 17.7 | 7.5 | 5.28 | 0.0 |
| Ober | 88.0 | 26.1 | 6.5 | 4.02 | 1.3 |
Game 87: RHP Kenta Maeda (2-4, 5.76 ERA) vs. RHP Bailey Ober (7-4, 4.30 ERA)
Maeda remains right at replacement level but at least he showed flashes of decency in his last start against the Halos, in which he gave up two runs on six hits (one home run) and a walk while striking out four in a losing effort. In fact, the Tigers have lost the last six games the 36-year-old has started — including the two-pitch effort against the Texas Rangers. However, he was solid against his former team on April 13, throwing a season-high six frames while allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits and no walks with Ks as well.
After a brutal season debut and some rough patches in May, Ober has turned the corner in June for the Twins. The 28-year-old put up a 3.19 ERA and 3.71 FIP in five June starts stretching over 31 innings while racking up 35 strikeouts, including a nine-inning complete-game effort against the Oakland A’s, allowing a pair of runs on four hits (two solo home runs) and zero walks while tying a season-high with 10 strikeouts.
Series Outlook: Time to play spoiler
It has been a while since the Tigers and Twins have tangled and a lot has happened since those seven games in April. Detroit managed to win four of those games and were still on the upswing. Of course, Kerry Carpenter was not injured at the time either.
From an offensive perspective, Minnesota is currently eighth in the majors in OPS (.740) and runs scored (404) and tied for fifth in home runs (99) while the Motor City Kitties are 27th (.661), 22nd (341) and 25th (76), respectively.
On the pitching side, you have the home team ranked 19th in ERA (409) but fifth in WHIP (1.19) and tied for tenth in batting average against (.236). The visitors are ranked 13th in ERA (3.92) but 22nd in WHIP (1.22) and 18th in batting average against (.243).