The Detroit Tigers split a four-game series this week with the Cleveland Guardians resulting in a tidy 4-3 record on their recent road swing to open up the second half of the season. The Motor City Kitties remain hot after entering the All-Star Break on fire, having assembled a 12-8 record in July putting them just two games under .500.
However, AJ Hinch’s team still has a way to go in a competitive American League East sitting 11 games behind the first-place Guards but only 5.5 games out of the final wildcard spot. The intra-division grind continues this weekend as the Tigers return home to host the second-place Minnesota Twins.
Below is a look at the pitching matchups for the next two games, with Detroit leaving Sunday’s starter open for a later decision.
Detroit Tigers (51-53) vs Minnesota Twins (59-39)
Times (ET): Friday: 6:40 p.m.; Saturday: 6:10 p.m.; Sunday: 1:40 p.m.
Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site: Twinkie Town
Media: Bally Sports Detroit, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 105 Pitching Matchup
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
| Montero | 31.2 | 19.3 | 7.4 | 5.51 | -0.1 |
| López | 111.0 | 27.9 | 5.2 | 3.68 | 1.9 |
Game 105: RHP Keider Montero (1-3, 5.97 ERA) vs. RHP Pablo López (8-7, 4.86 ERA)
Montero
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Baseball Savant
López
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Baseball Savant
Game 106 Pitching Matchup
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
| Skubal | 123.0 | 30.0 | 4.5 | 2.51 | 3.7 |
| Ryan | 120.2 | 26.9 | 3.9 | 3.42 | 2.8 |
Game 106: LHP Tarik Skubal (11-3, 2.34 ERA) vs. RHP Joe Ryan (6-6, 3.65 ERA)
Skubal
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Baseball Savant
Ryan
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Baseball Savant
Game 107 Pitching Matchup
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
| TBD | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ober | 107.0 | 25.9 | 5.9 | 3.94 | 1.6 |
Game 107: TBD vs. RHP Bailey Ober (9-5, 4.04 ERA)
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Baseball Savant
Series Outlook: Once again, we ask to beat the Twinkies
A series win over Minnesota would benefit the Olde English D in three ways. First of all, the wildcard spot should be the primary focus and every win gets Detroit a little bit closer to its first postseason appearance in a decade. Secondly, while the Tigers seem far back in the divisional race there is still time to make up ground, or at very least, thirdly, play spoiler and troll a fellow ALC squad. Can they do it? At the very least, momentum is on their side.