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ON DECK: Tigers finish up homestand with visit from division rival Indians

Mother Nature made her presence once more in Detroit during this Mother’s Day weekend, forcing the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners to squeeze in three games in a 24-hour window. But it all ended good for the Detroit faithful, thanks to some walk-off heroics from Jose Iglesias in the rubber match to clinch the Tigers’ first series win over a team with a winning record. They also hand Seattle their first road series loss in eight tries this season.

UP NEXT

The Tigers (17-22) now resume their American League Central rivalry with the Cleveland Indians (19-19), who, despite a .500 record overall, sit atop the division roughly a quarter of the way through the season.

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This will be the second meeting between the two clubs this season. The Tribe swept Detroit right out of Cleveland back in early April, a series in which the Tigers mustered just five runs in the four games combined. The Indians were ice cold at the dish and the pitching staff was not crisp early on in the season. They have improved since then, but it has been marginal, collectively speaking, in both departments.

After the four-game sweep earlier in the year, it is now 11 straight defeats for the Tigers against the Indians, going back to the 2017 campaign.

PITCHING MATCHUPS

Game 1 | Carlos Carrasco (Indians) vs. Mike Fiers (Tigers)

What a great way for Chief Wahoo to get off on the right foot in their latest series with the Motor City Kitties than by sending a guy that has owned Detroit as of late. Fresh off allowing two runs in a complete game effort against the Milwaukee Brewers, Carlos Carrasco (5-1, 3.61 ERA) has to be salivating to take the bump on Monday. He already has a CG against the Tigers this season, lowering his ERA to 1.36 over his last 11 starts vs. Detroit going back to the start of 2016.

Mike Fiers (3-2, 4.73 ERA) was very serviceable in his last start against Texas last week, allowing just two runs over 5.1 innings of work, picking up his third victory of the season. Fiers will be making just his third start at home this season, where his ERA at Comerica is approaching 6.00. However, he has a 2.42 mark in that category in four career starts against the Indians dating back to 2016 (first vs. CLE this season on Monday), so something has got to give.

Game 2 | Josh Tomlin (Indians) vs. Francisco Liriano (Tigers)

Like Carrasco, Josh Tomlin (0-4, 8.06 ERA) might be feeling some sense of relief to see the Tigers on the other side of the ledger. Tomlin’s biggest struggles thus far in 2018 have been keeping the ball in the yard. He allowed three more big flies in his last start against the New York Yankees — third time allowing 3+ HR in a start this season — and now leads the league with 13 homers allowed. However, his best start of the year came against Detroit back on April 10, when he tossed five scoreless frames.

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Battling with flu-like symptoms in his most recent outing, Francisco Liriano (3-1, 3.35 ERA) had his least-effective start for the Tigers this season. Against the Rangers on May 9, Liriano lasted just four innings and was charged with three runs allowed. He only allowed four hits but matched a season-high with four walks. This will be the second start of the year for Liriano against the Indians. He yielded just two runs over six innings back on April 9.

Game 3 | Trevor Bauer (Indians) vs. TBA (Tigers)

Trevor Bauer (2-3, 3.00 ERA), who has generated more buzz early on this season for some social media comments regarding the Houston Astros, has fared well on the bump so far for the Tribe. That is despite allowing season-highs in both hits (11) and runs (5) his last time out against the Kansas City Royals. It was just the second time in eight tries this season in which Bauer allowed three or more runs. He twirled seven innings of two-run ball against the Tigers back on April 12.

As of right now, Detroit has not officially named a starter for the series finale on Wednesday. It was possible that Jordan Zimmermann (2-0, 4.88 ERA) could be activated from the disabled list by then but manager Ron Gardenhire said on Monday that the team would be promoting someone from Triple-A Toledo to make a spot start.

The most likely candidate to do so would be lefty Ryan Carpenter, whom the Tigers have utilized as the 26th man for multiple doubleheaders this season. Carpenter has appeared in two games (one start) for Detroit this season, allowing three runs on five hits over 3.2 innings of work.

HITTERS TO WATCH

It’s hard to find a hitter in all of baseball more locked in that Francisco Lindor. After a three-hit performance on Mother’s Day, the sensational shortstop for the Indians is riding a 14-game hitting streak into Detroit. He is hitting a blistering .476 during that hit streak, clubbing 16 extra-base hits and averaging one RBI per game in that stretch.

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With the Tigers dealing with injuries through the lineup, they need a host of players to step up. Jose Iglesias has done his part as of late to help that cause. After his walk-off knock on Sunday against Seattle, Iglesias is 10 for 33 (.303 BA) over his last nine games, with his first two jimmy jacks of the year and six runs batted in.

SERIES INFO

  • Game 1 | Mon, May 14 @ 7:10 p.m. ET
  • Game 2 | Tue, May 15 @ 7:10 p.m. ET
  • Game 3 | Wed, May 16 @ 1:10 p.m. ET

All games can be seen on Fox Sports Detroit unless otherwise noted. Be sure to check your local listings for regional radio broadcasts.

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Alex Muller
Alex Mullerhttps://lxandrthegr8.wordpress.com/
MSU Graduate. Just a city boy born and raised in south Detroit. Baseball is life, a pitcher at heart. Freelance writer for MIPrepZone (News-Herald, Press & Guide).

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