Detroit Tigers head to Baltimore for a 3-game weekend series with the Orioles
No one thought the Detroit Tigers would be where they are this late in the season, but here they are, mathematically tied for the final wild-card spot with just nine games remaining while entering the weekend seven games above .500.
AJ Hinch’s team desperately needed a win against the Kansas City Royals this week and did their part to get it while the Minnesota Twins continue to struggle. Maybe the rancid sausage finally ran out of steam…or maybe these Tigers mean business.
Next up is a rematch of last weekend’s series against the Baltimore Orioles, this time at Camden Yards. The O’s hold a comfortable five-game lead in the first wild-card spot while four games behind the leading New York Yankees in the American League East, but they too have sputtered down the home stretch much like Minny.
So it’s life or death for the Olde English D, because at this point every single win counts. Below you’ll see the pitching matchups for the next three days, with our old friend TBD lining up for a couple – they’ve served us well so far, so why should we quibble about the results?
The bad news is that the game will be broadcast on the hated Apple TV+ on Friday night.
Detroit Tigers (80-73) at Baltimore Orioles (85-68)
Times (ET): Fri: 19:05 o’clock; So: 16:05 o’clock; Sun: 13:35
Location: Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland
SB Nation website: Camden Chat
Media: Bally Sports Detroit, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network, AppleTV+
Game 154 Pitching Duel
| player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
| To be announced | – | – | – | – | – |
| Burnes | 182.1 | 22.1 | 5.9 | 3.63 | 3.4 |
Game 154: To be announced against RHP Corbin Burnes (14-8, 3.06 ERA)
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Baseball Expert
Game 155 Pitching Duel
| player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
| Olson | 105.1 | 21.7 | 7.3 | 3.23 | 2.2 |
| Povich | 69.0 | 19.2 | 9.6 | 5.13 | 0.2 |
Game 155: RHP Reese Olson (4-8, 3.50 ERA) vs. LHP Cade Povich (2-9, 5.74 ERA)
Olson
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Povich
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Baseball Expert
Game 156 Pitching Duel
| player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| player | IP | K% | BB% | FIP | fWAR |
| To be announced | – | – | – | – | – |
| Suarez | 122.2 | 18.8 | 7.9 | 3.92 | 1.7 |
Game 156: TBD vs. RHP Albert Suárez (8-6, 3.60 ERA)
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Baseball Expert
Series Outlook: Another must-win series
The Tigers’ run over the past few months has been nothing short of incredible, but the finish line is not yet in. Only a win would guarantee this year’s edition of the Motor City Kitties a record of .500 or better for the first time since 2016.
Baltimore enters the weekend ranked fifth in the major leagues in OPS (.747) and seventh in runs scored (735), while Detroit ranks 22nd (.686) and 18th (649), respectively. On the pitching side, the O’s rank 15th in ERA (3.95), 11th in WHIP (1.24), and 10th in batting average against (.239), while the Tigers rank 3rd (3.62), 2nd (1.17), and 6th (.235), respectively.
Hinch and Co. are 2-1 against the home team this season and won two of three games at Comerica Park last weekend. There’s no reason they can’t at least repeat that result again this summer.
