DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers are back in town for the first time this season, fresh off a series win over the defending World Series champion Houston Astros.
This season got off to a rough start for the Tigers, as they were swept by the Tampa Bay Rays by a combined score of 21-3. It was every bit as ugly as it sounds.
But the tide turned in Houston, as the Tigers overcame a late surge by the Astros to win the first game in extra innings. Tuesday’s win was much cleaner: The Tigers scored in five different innings and never looked back after taking the lead in the sixth.
Detroit dropped the series finale, but the team still returns to Comerica Park feeling relatively good about the road trip, considering all six games came against two of the best teams in the American League.
Riley Greene and Matt Vierling are currently leading the charge for A.J. Hinch’s team.
Greene, who began this season fully healthy after missing Opening Day due to a broken foot last year, is 8-for-23 with a triple, a home run, and a .400 on-base percentage. He’s made a handful of really nice plays in center field, and looks to be Detroit’s most reliable hitter.
Vierling was the hero of the Houston series, racking up four hits in the first game, including a game-winning two-run homer in the top of the 11th. He is 7-for-20 with a .381 OBP.
Strikeouts have been a major issue for the Tigers so far, though they have faced some of the league’s best bat-missing pitchers. They’ve struck out in 27.9% of their plate appearances so far, while drawing walks in just 5.9% of those trips.
Those numbers will need to change drastically if the Tigers hope to improve on last year’s 66-96 record. That starts Thursday against a very familiar face: Chris Sale.
Sale hasn’t made double digit starts in a season for the Boston Red Sox since 2019, but he’s finally healthy to start this year. He’s one of the game’s elite strikeout specialists when healthy, but he hasn’t been on the mound very often.
The 34-year-old got blown up in his first start, allowing seven runs on seven hits and two walks against the Baltimore Orioles. Sale called it the most embarrassing moment of his professional career, and he’ll be determined to bounce back against the Tigers.
His counterpart, Spencer Turnbull, is hoping to do the same. In his first start coming off of Tommy John surgery, Turnbull allowed 11 base runners and seven runs in just 2.1 innings against the Rays.
First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. Thursday.
