The Detroit Tigers are slated for an evening match-up with the Boston Red Sox, the second game of a three-game set. With Beau Brieske toeing the rubber for the Tigers, they have to like their odds, even with the Red Sox lineup being a daunting task.
The Detroit Tigers are looking to tie up the series with a victory and maybe see things start to turn around, and Brieske is tasked with providing a quality outing. Brieske has been a bright spot in the Tigers rotation, which has seen injuries decimate it from the start.
Brieske has stepped up to the task and been an excellent option, providing quality starts every time the Tigers give him the ball. Now, against Boston tonight, he's going to look to keep the momentum going after a season-best outing in his last start.
He delivered a season-high seven innings pitched against the Texas Rangers in his last start. He provided seven shutout innings, adding six punchouts and only allowing three hits to the opposition—a heck of an outing for Brieske that speaks to his continued success on the mound.
The Detroit Tigers are relying on Beau Brieske once again tonight against Boston.
He was stellar in his last start against the Rangers, and his seven shutout innings helped him get to 12.2 innings of shutout baseball. He's closing in on 13 shutout innings, which the Tigers should be more than pleased with.
In the last three starts, he's allowed just three hits over 18.2 innings pitched and has added 15 punchouts to his line. The name of the game for Brieske is efficiency, and he's been that this year. Not many would have expected him to settle into the role he has with the rotation, but he's been exceptional.
All-in-all, Brieske has logged 54.2 innings pitched over ten starts, where he has pitched to a 3.79 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP, and picked up 37 punchouts. While he's not going to punch out hitters like a Gerrit Cole or Justin Verlander, he's going to get the job done, and that is all the Tigers need.
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In tonight's contest against the Red Sox, expect Brieske to attack hitters early and often. He throws strikes and does seldom lose an at-bat. His 2.8 BB/9 rate is stellar and speaks to him inducing weak contact and letting the defense do the job.
Boston is a worthy opponent, fighting neck and neck with the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League (AL) East division. While the Tigers dropped game one, they are looking to bounce back and tie things up heading into game three.
The bigger picture here is that Brieske has been outstanding, and the Tigers need pitchers who can have success like this. As Brieske takes the mound in tonight's contest, expect a lot of groundballs and weak flyouts.
There's hope for the Tigers; if they can get the offense rolling as they did against the Rangers in the 14-7 rout, they should be able to come away on top.
If nothing else, hopefully, Brieske powers through another start, mowing down hitters and looking like a real benefit to this team's rotation.
