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The Guardians finish the first half with four games against the Tigers. Fortunately, the games will be held over a four-day period, barring a rainout. The G’s will be looking for some payback after getting swept in Detroit recently by a combined score of 28-10.
The Tigers have gone 3-5 since smacking the G’s around in the Motor City, scoring just 24 runs in those eight games. They lost five our their last six, scoring just eight runs in those five losses.
The Tigers are the lowest scoring team in baseball, averaging just 3.18 runs per game. They are bad every which way you slice it. They are last in home runs per game (0.58) and 29th in slugging. They are 29th in on-base percentage and 28th in stolen bases per game. They’re 29th in walks. No power, no speed, no plate discipline, no on-base ability. Just a total joke of an offense.
The Guardians have their top four starters going so there’s no excuse for giving up 28 runs this time around, or even 15 for that matter.
The above numbers for Detroit include home and away and against righties and lefties. But this weekend the Tigers will be on the road against four right-handed starters. Breaking down their team batting averages and OPS:
Home: .244/.660 Away: .216/.587
Vs LHP: .269/.704 Vs RHP: .217/.596
Clearly the Tigers are better at home and against LHP’s than they are on the road and against RHP’s. So the worst offensive team in baseball should be even worse this weekend.
As for pitching, the Tigers are more respectable, ranking 20th in team ERA. They’re a little better at home than on the road, but the difference is not that significant (3.93 vs. 4.18).
The Tigers’ starters this weekend have a combined record of 7-16.
The Tigers have an excellent bullpen, ranking 3rd in ERA and FIP. You don’t want to be behind late in the game. Their starters are 25th in ERA, 26th in FIP, and 25th in WAR, so the formula to beat Detroit is simple; score a few runs off their starters to get a lead after six innings while dominating the weakest batting order in baseball.
The Tigers have had an incredible 14 pitchers start games this year, including 9 that have started at least four games. Their best starter has been Tarik Skubal, but we miss him this weekend.
In the opener tonight Tristan McKenzie goes against rookie right-hander Elvin Rodriguez, age 24. ERod is 0-2, 11.51 in five games, four of which were starts. On May 29 Elvin pitched four scoreless innings against the Guardians. In his other four appearances he’s pitched 16.1 innings and allowed 26 earned runs. This guy is not a major league pitcher but he somehow managed to baffle the G’s for four innings while everybody else has been using him for batting practice.
Opponents are hitting .326/1.105 against him. They are 8-for-13 the third time they face him in a game. Normally the Tigers don’t let him go that far. In his last two starts he allowed 18 earned runs against the Yankees and Blue Jays. Ouch.
McKenzie has started one game against the Tigers this year, allowing two runs in 7.1 innings in Detroit.
It would be very nice to end the first half on a positive note and start the second half with Oscar Gonzalez and Aaron Civale 100%.
The Tigers have gone 3-5 since smacking the G’s around in the Motor City, scoring just 24 runs in those eight games. They lost five our their last six, scoring just eight runs in those five losses.
The Tigers are the lowest scoring team in baseball, averaging just 3.18 runs per game. They are bad every which way you slice it. They are last in home runs per game (0.58) and 29th in slugging. They are 29th in on-base percentage and 28th in stolen bases per game. They’re 29th in walks. No power, no speed, no plate discipline, no on-base ability. Just a total joke of an offense.
The Guardians have their top four starters going so there’s no excuse for giving up 28 runs this time around, or even 15 for that matter.
The above numbers for Detroit include home and away and against righties and lefties. But this weekend the Tigers will be on the road against four right-handed starters. Breaking down their team batting averages and OPS:
Home: .244/.660 Away: .216/.587
Vs LHP: .269/.704 Vs RHP: .217/.596
Clearly the Tigers are better at home and against LHP’s than they are on the road and against RHP’s. So the worst offensive team in baseball should be even worse this weekend.
As for pitching, the Tigers are more respectable, ranking 20th in team ERA. They’re a little better at home than on the road, but the difference is not that significant (3.93 vs. 4.18).
The Tigers’ starters this weekend have a combined record of 7-16.
The Tigers have an excellent bullpen, ranking 3rd in ERA and FIP. You don’t want to be behind late in the game. Their starters are 25th in ERA, 26th in FIP, and 25th in WAR, so the formula to beat Detroit is simple; score a few runs off their starters to get a lead after six innings while dominating the weakest batting order in baseball.
The Tigers have had an incredible 14 pitchers start games this year, including 9 that have started at least four games. Their best starter has been Tarik Skubal, but we miss him this weekend.
In the opener tonight Tristan McKenzie goes against rookie right-hander Elvin Rodriguez, age 24. ERod is 0-2, 11.51 in five games, four of which were starts. On May 29 Elvin pitched four scoreless innings against the Guardians. In his other four appearances he’s pitched 16.1 innings and allowed 26 earned runs. This guy is not a major league pitcher but he somehow managed to baffle the G’s for four innings while everybody else has been using him for batting practice.
Opponents are hitting .326/1.105 against him. They are 8-for-13 the third time they face him in a game. Normally the Tigers don’t let him go that far. In his last two starts he allowed 18 earned runs against the Yankees and Blue Jays. Ouch.
McKenzie has started one game against the Tigers this year, allowing two runs in 7.1 innings in Detroit.
It would be very nice to end the first half on a positive note and start the second half with Oscar Gonzalez and Aaron Civale 100%.
