DETROIT TIGERS (22-24) vs. CHICAGO WHITE SOX (20-25)
Game 1 (DH) – Buck Farmer (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0 K) vs. Mike Pelfrey (1-4, 4.85 ERA, 11 K)
Friday, May 26 @ 5:10 p.m. ET
TV: Fox Sports Detroit | Radio: 97.1 The Ticket
The Tigers and White Sox will start their four-game series by playing a true doubleheader Friday, with Buck Farmer getting the nod for Detroit in a spot start. He is currently 1-3 with a 4.12 ERA down with the AAA Toledo Mud Hens, but Farmer has really struggled at the big league level. He is career 0-6 with a 6.84 ERA. He did, however, come in in relief last season against the White Sox, going two innings and allowing one earned run.
The White Sox will throw former Tiger Mike Pelfrey in the first game of Friday’s doubleheader. Pelfrey started against the Tigers earlier this season, going 4.2 innings and allowing three earned runs. The White Sox won that game, 7-3, but by the time Pelfrey left the game, it was tied 3-3.
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Game 2 (DH) – Matthew Boyd (2-4, 5.26 ERA, 33 K) vs. Tyler Danish (0-0, 0.00, 0 K)
Matthew Boyd has really struggled since beating the Indians on April 16. He is winless in his last six outings, including back-to-back rough starts against the Orioles and Rangers. Boyd has allowed 11 earned runs in his last seven innings while giving up 20 hits and elevating his ERA from 3.78 to 5.26 in just under three weeks (4 starts). With Boyd and Farmer both getting starts on Friday, you would imagine they are auditioning for that 5th starter role moving forward.
Tyler Danish gets the spot start for the White Sox on Friday night in game two of the doubleheader. Danish has appeared in three games in his career, allowing two runs and six hits in just 1.2 innings pitched. The 22-year-old is 1-3 this season in the minor leagues with a 3.15 ERA pitching for the Charlotte Knights.
Game 3 – Michael Fulmer (2-3, 4.81 ERA, 39 K) vs. Derek Holland (4-3, 2.47 ERA, 44 K)
Saturday, May 27 @ 1:10 p.m. ET
TV: Fox Sports Detroit | Radio: 97.1 The Ticket
Michael Fulmer is on a streak of nine straight quality starts to begin the 2017 season. He is tied for second (Verlander) in most consecutive quality starts to begin a year as he goes for number ten on Saturday. Fulmer threw really well in his last start against the Astros, going seven strong innings allowing just one run. However, his stellar start was spoiled when the Tigers offense could only muster one hit and lost to Houston, 1-0.
Facing Fulmer will be the White Sox Derek Holland, who threw six innings of two-run ball against the Tigers on April 29. In Holland’s last outing, he may have put together his best start of the season. Holland went eight innings and allowed just a solo home run as the White Sox cruised to an 8-1 victory over the Mariners. Derek is 3-1 in his last six starts.
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Game 4 – Jordan Zimmerman (4-3, 5.86 ERA, 31 K) vs. Miguel Gonzalez (3-5, 3.55 ERA, 33 K)
Sunday, May 28 @ 1:10 p.m. ET
TV: Fox Sports Detroit | Radio: 97.1 The Ticket
Jordan Zimmerman easily threw his best outing of the season last start against Houston, and as karma would have it, he took the loss. This after a 4-2 record despite a 5.00+ ERA for a majority of the season. On April 30, Jordan bested the White Sox after five strong innings, allowing three runs.
Miguel Gonzalez opposed Zimmerman on April 30, getting absolutely rocked for 14 hits and six runs over six innings. After starting the season 3-0, Gonzalez has really gone into the tube as he has lost his last five starts and his ERA has ballooned from 2.00 to 4.55 over the last month. In four of his last five starts, he has allowed at least four earned runs, with six coming against the Tigers earlier this year.
PREDICTION
The White Sox come into this series having lost their last three games and seven of ten overall. They don’t look like the same team as they did earlier this season, and that helps the Tigers, who are on a bit of a cold streak of their own. I think the Tigers have a little more power and talent overall, and Fulmer going Saturday will help a bullpen that should get significant work on Friday night.
The Tigers take three of four to get back to .500 and push into the dog days of summer.