The Detroit Tigers wrapped up its Windy City road trip on Monday with a four-game sweep of the lowly Chicago White Sox putting the team at the .500 mark late in the season for the first time in what seems like forever.
AJ Hinch’s squad has been hitting on all cylinders since their series at the Cincinnati Reds in early July thanks in large part to a revitalized offense along with a tenacious pitching staff that has surprisingly worked its way through injuries and ineffectiveness. Now they return home to host the Los Angeles Angels for a trio in Comerica Park this week looking to add more to the win column.
The Halos currently reside in the basement of the American League West 16 games behind the first-place Houston Astros and two games behind the fourth-place Oakland Athletics. Having lost five in a row and getting swept at the Toronto Blue Jays in a four-game series last weekend, they arrive in the Motor City on the downswing.
Below is a look at the pitching matchup for Tuesday night’s affair, with both teams turning in TBDs for Wednesday and the Angels lining up a rookie on Thursday.
Detroit Tigers (66-66) vs Los Angeles Angels (54-77)
Times (ET): Tues: 6:40 p.m.; Wed: 6:40 p.m.; Thurs: 1:10 p.m.
Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site: Halos Heaven
Media: Bally Sports Detroit, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 133 Pitching Matchup
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
| Hurter | 17.2 | 24.6 | 1.4 | 3.62 | 0.2 |
| Cueto | 6.1 | 3.6 | 7.1 | 5.85 | 0.0 |
Game 133: LHP Brant Hurter (1-1, 3.57 ERA) vs. RHP Johnny Cueto (0-1, 4.26 ERA)
Hurter
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Baseball Savant
Cueto
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Baseball Savant
Game 134: TBD vs. TBD
Neither starter was announced at the time of publication.
Game 135 Pitching Matchup
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
| TBD | – | – | – | – | – |
| Kochanowicz | 26.2 | 7.0 | 6.1 | 5.64 | -0.1 |
Game 135: TBD vs. RHP Jack Kochanowicz (1-3, 6.08 ERA)
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Baseball Savant
Series Outlook: Let’s keep the winning going!
As well as the Tigers have been playing for the past month and change, there is no reason Detroit cannot take at least two of three from Los Angeles this week. Sure, sweeping the ChiSox was not a massive accomplishment but the team has been trending upward since before that series.
The Angels are ranked 26th in OPS (.674) and 27th in runs scored (515) among MLB teams on offense while coming in at 27th in ERA (4.58), 25th in WHIP (1.32) and tied for 17th in batting average against (.242). Compare that with the Olde English D, which is ranked 23rd in OPS (.687) and 19th in runs scored (562) while coming in 10th in ERA (3.83), third in WHIP (1.20) and in a four-way tie for ninth in batting average against (.238).
The Motor City Kitties should not have any issues preventing their weekday opponents from scoring and should also be able to plate a few players themselves. Expect an exciting series as the clock ticks down on the 2024 campaign.