The Detroit Tigers return home to kick off their penultimate series ahead of this summer’s All-Star Game hosting the lowly Oakland Athletics for a three-game set starting on Tuesday. Hopefully, the Motor City Kitties can put on a fireworks show for the Fourth of July festivities and build on the series win against the Colorado Rockies last weekend on the road.
AJ Hinch’s squad enters the competition nine games under the .500 mark and 4.5 games out of first place, trailing the American League Central division-leading Minnesota Twins by 4.5 games and the second-place Cleveland Guardians by 3.5. The A’s also won their most recent series in Oakland against the Chicago White Sox but remain mired in the cellar of the AL West division, 27.5 games out of first and 40 games under .500.
While it appears to be an excellent opportunity for the Tigers to pad the win column before the summer break, the games are played for a reason. Take a look below at an abbreviated preview of the pitchers lined up for this week — including a pair of TBDs for the Athletics. The action starts Tuesday night on the United States’ Independence Day.
Detroit Tigers (37-46) vs Oakland Athletics (23-63)
Times (EDT): Tuesday: 6:40 p.m.; Wednesday: 6:40 p.m.; Thursday: 1:10 p.m.
Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site: Athletics Nation
Media: Bally Sports Detroit, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 84 Pitching Matchup
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
| Skubal | – | – | – | – | – |
| Sears | 87.1 | 23.9 | 5.6 | 5.14 | 0.3 |
Game 84: LHP Tarik Skubal (—) vs. LHP JP Sears (1-6, 4.43 ERA)
Sears:
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Baseball Savant
Game 85 Pitching Matchup
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
| Rodriguez | 67.2 | 25.5 | 6.1 | 3.18 | 1.7 |
| TBD | – | – | – | – | – |
Game 85: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (4-4, 2.13 ERA) vs. TBD
Rodriguez:
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Baseball Savant
Game 86 Pitching Matchup
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
| Lorenzen | 82.0 | 18.6 | 6.0 | 4.33 | 0.8 |
| TBD | – | – | – | – | – |
Game 86: RHP Michael Lorenzen (2-6, 4.28 ERA) vs. TBD
Lorenzen:
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Baseball Savant
Series Outlook: No reason not to sweep the A’s
Detroit Will have their three best pitchers on the mound this week thanks to the return of both Tarik Skubal and Eduardo Rodriguez. While they cannot be depended upon for the kind of performance we would expect on paper, there is a good chance they both have enough stuff to put away the Athletics. Plus, newly anointed All-Star Michael Lorenzen also gets the nod on Thursday as he continues to hold the starting rotation together for the Tigers. If things go how they should go, the Olde English D should be three games richer in the win column.