The Detroit Tigers are back on the road Friday night, opening a three-game interleague series against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park.
Detroit comes in off a solid bounce-back series against Milwaukee. After getting knocked around 12-4 in the opener, the Tigers responded with back-to-back wins, taking the final two games 5-2 and 5-4 to secure the series.
Cincinnati has been one of the hotter teams in baseball early on. The Reds enter the weekend at 16-9, owning one of the best records in the majors. They took two of three on the road against Tampa Bay before dropping the finale 6-1.
Pitching matchup: Valdez vs Abbott
Detroit turns to left-hander Framber Valdez, who has settled in nicely through his first five starts with the club. Valdez brings a 2-1 record and 3.30 ERA into Friday night, along with a strong ground ball rate that has helped him limit damage.
This will be his first career appearance against Cincinnati.
The Reds counter with Andrew Abbott, another lefty who is still looking to find consistency early this season. Abbott was an NL Cy Young finalist a year ago, finishing eighth in the voting, but enters this start at 0-2 with a 5.84 ERA.
Like Valdez, Abbott has never faced his opponent before, adding a bit of unknown to both sides in the opener.
By the numbers
- Framber Valdez (DET): 2-1, 3.30 ERA, 30.0 IP, 15.7% K rate, 53.6% ground ball rate
- Andrew Abbott (CIN): 0-2, 5.84 ERA, 24.2 IP, 13.2% K rate, 47.1% ground ball rate
Framber Valdez
Andrew Abbott
Starting Lineup
Series outlook
This is a good early test for Detroit. Cincinnati has been playing clean baseball and generating consistent offense, while the Tigers are still trying to find rhythm from game to game.
If Valdez can keep the ball on the ground and limit traffic, Detroit has a chance to grab the opener and put early pressure on a Reds team that has been tough at home.
For the Tigers, stacking quality at-bats against Abbott could be the difference. He has shown he can be vulnerable early this season, and Detroit will look to take advantage before the Reds can settle into the series.
Game details
- Matchup: Detroit Tigers (12-10) vs Cincinnati Reds (16-9)
- First pitch: 6:40 p.m. ET
- Location: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati
- TV/Radio: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
