The Detroit Tigers return home after a road trip that saw them sweep the Kansas City Royals and take two of three from the Baltimore Orioles, keeping them in the thick of the chase for the final American League wild card spot.
AJ Hinches squad now welcomes the Tampa Bay Rays — a team that faded from playoff contention in the second half — to Comerica Park this week for the penultimate series of the 2024 regular season. With just six games remaining, every single win counts.
Coming into the series, the Motor City Kitties are now third in the AL Central and firmly in place for the last wild card spot with a one-game lead over the Minnesota Twins, who have also been fading these past few weeks.
TBD rides the bench this week for Detroit as all three Tigers starters were announced prior to the start of the series. Take a look below at the upcoming pitching matchups.
Detroit Tigers (82-74) vs Tampa Bay Rays (78-78)
Times (ET): Tues: 1:10 p.m.; Wed: 6:10 p.m.; Thurs: 1:10 p.m.
Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site: DRaysBay
Media: Bally Sports Detroit, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 157 Pitching Matchup
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
| Skubal | 185.0 | 30.3 | 4.7 | 2.48 | 5.6 |
| Pepiot | 121.0 | 26.3 | 8.4 | 4.04 | 1.6 |
Game 157: LHP Tarik Skubal (17-4, 2.48 ERA) vs. RHP Ryan Pepiot (8-6, 3.64 ERA)
Skubal
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Baseball Savant
Pepiot
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Baseball Savant
Game 158 Pitching Matchup
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
| Montero | 92.2 | 19.1 | 7.3 | 5.12 | 0.1 |
| Littell | 151.2 | 21.1 | 4.9 | 3.91 | 2.2 |
Game 158: RHP Keider Montero (6-6, 4.86 ERA) vs. RHP Zack Littell (8-9, 3.56 ERA)
Montero
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Baseball Savant
Littell
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Baseball Savant
Game 159 Pitching Matchup
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
| Olson | 108.1 | 21.8 | 7.3 | 3.22 | 2.3 |
| TBD | – | – | – | – | – |
Game 159: RHP Reese Olson (4-8, 3.49 ERA). vs. TBD
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Baseball Savant
Series Outlook: Almost there…
Once again, it’s a must-win (and preferably must-sweep) series for Detroit and Tampa Bay should not cause too much trouble for the Tigers.
The Rays are 26th in OPS (.674) and 29th in runs scored against the Olde English D at 22nd (.686) and 18th (660), respectively, on offense. On the flip side, the visitors are ninth in the majors in ERA (3.79), fourth in WHIP (1.21) and tied for seventh in batting average against (.236), while the home team is third (3.64), second (1.17) and sixth (.235), respectively.