A new month begins on Thursday as the Detroit Tigers look to kick off the post-trade deadline portion of their campaign with a winning effort against the visiting Kansas City Royals, who are in town for a four-game series this weekend.
The Motor City Kitties wrapped up July on a downswing, dropping a pair to the Cleveland Guardians earlier this week, closing out what was otherwise a strong showing during the dog days of summer. AJ Hinch’s squad managed to split 10 games with the American League Central leaders but are still five games under the .500 mark with just over 50 games left to play.
With the trade deadline swaps along with a pair of injuries, Hinch and Co. are uncertain who will take the mound each of the next four days. Take a look below at who the Royals have slated as their starters.
Detroit Tigers (52-57) vs Kansas City Royals (60-49)
Times (ET): Thu: 6:40 p.m.; Fri: 6:40 p.m.; Sat: 1:10 p.m.; Sun: 1:40 p.m.
Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site: Royals Review
Media: Bally Sports Detroit, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 110 Pitching Matchup
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
| TBD | – | – | – | – | – |
| Lugo | 142.1 | 21.8 | 5.6 | 3.34 | 3.2 |
Game 110: TBD vs. RHP Seth Lugo (12-5, 2.66 ERA)
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Baseball Savant
Game 111 Pitching Matchup
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
| TBD | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ragans | 128.1 | 29.0 | 7.8 | 2.70 | 3.9 |
Game 111: TBD vs. LHP Cole Ragans (7-7, 3.37 ERA)
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Baseball Savant
Game 112 Pitching Matchup
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
| TBD | – | – | – | – | – |
| Lorenzen | 101.2 | 17.9 | 11.5 | 5.17 | 0.4 |
Game 112: TBD vs. RHP Michael Lorenzen (5-6, 3.81 ERA)
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Baseball Savant
Game 113 Pitching Matchup
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
| TBD | – | – | – | – | – |
| Wacha | 108.0 | 20.4 | 7.0 | 3.99 | 1.8 |
Game 113: TBD vs. RHP Michael Wacha (8-6, 3.58 ERA)
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Baseball Savant
Series Outlook: Can the Tigers still compete?
Last month was an exciting one for Detroit fans as the Tigers nearly got back to the .500 mark before losing a series to the Minnesota Twins and Guardians to end July. However, with Jack Flaherty now with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Reese Olson and Casey Mize both struggling with injuries, the Olde English D is running out of options on the mound to start their games. It is nearly certain that Kenta Maeda will return to the rotation — but whether as a true starter or an opener is still to be determined.
Long story short, things are going to be tough for the good guys in these final games of the season. Hopefully, the team is up to the task and can maintain respectability as the clock ticks down on the 2024 campaign.