Tampa Bay Rays (35-33) vs. Detroit Tigers (30-34)
First Pitch: 7:10 EST
Weather: 78°F • Drizzle • 19% PoP
Stadium: Comerica Park – Detroit, MI
Media: Fox Sports Detroit | 97.1 The Ticket
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Tigers Lineup:
1. Ian Kinsler (R) 2B
2. Alex Avila (L) C
3. Miguel Cabrera (R) 1B
4. Victor Martinez (S) DH
5. J.D. Martinez (R) RF
6. Justin Upton (R) LF
7. Nicholas Castellanos (R) 3B
8. Alex Presley (L) CF
9. Jose Iglesias (R) SS
Pitching Matchup:
Alex Cobb (5-5. 4.29 ERA) vs. Justin Verlander (4-4, 4.68 ERA)
What to Watch For:
Justin Verlander has been looking for answers for a month now. After gritting his way through a battle with Chris Sale and the Red Sox, Verlander should be closer to lowering his pitch count and getting swings and misses — something that did him in in Boston. A great outing tonight, following in the footsteps of Jordan Zimmermann, would be a step in the right direction for the Tigers long-time Ace.
The Tigers offense was handled pretty well by the Diamondbacks Taijuan Walker, only being able to push across one run in last night’s contest. Getting the bats going against Alex Cobb early will be key for the Tigers to start their road to revenge on the Rays.
Beginning the game the Tigers sit 4.5 games out of first place, as the Twins downed the Mariners earlier today. Keeping pace with the Twins should be the key if the Tigers are looking to make any run at all and get themselves back into the conversation of contention.
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Looking Back:
The Tigers will look back to the coulda-woulda-shoulda the last two days against the Diamondbacks and shake their heads. After having battled back from a six-run deficit in game one they ended up losing the game 7-6. Then, Jordan Zimmermann was sparkling last night turning in the best outing for any Tigers pitcher this season, eight innings of two-run baseball, unfortunately earning the loss as the bats went quiet.
Before You Watch:
https://detroitsportsnation.com/detroit-tigers-news/cpoposki/miguel-cabrera-elite-company/93049/
https://detroitsportsnation.com/detroit-tigers-news/jbernhardt/five-tigers-that-deserve-consideration-for-the-2017-all-star-game/93723/
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