Detroit Tigers: Breaking Down the Rest of the Week

Detroit Tigers players got back on track with a comeback victory over the Minnesota Twins on Monday night. Detroit will look to carry that momentum throughout the week.

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Daniel Norris was exceptional on Monday, allowing just five hits, two walks and two runs in 6.1 innings pitched. Oh yeah, he also struck out 11 batters.

The Tigers will need Norris to excel again this week. The young starter is slated to start during a crucial three-game set in Cleveland.

As it stands, Detroit’s American League Central rivals hold a six-game lead over Miguel Cabrera and company. Brad Ausmus will sent Justin Verlander, Norris and Matt Boyd to the hill in Cleveland.

Before this, the Tigers will need to take care of business against a Twins team that they’ve dominated this season.

Boyd, Anibal Sanchez and Mike Pelfrey will pitch on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday respectively.

If all goes to plan, the Tigers will end the week having made ground in the hunt for a playoff berth. Here’s an in-depth breakdown of the rest of the week’s slate of games, beginning with the rest of the Minnesota series.

Wednesday: Tyler Duffey vs Anibal Sanchez

For as much as Anibal Sanchez has struggled this season, he’s actually thrown some quality innings in the second half.

The starter’s ERA sits at a respectable 4.22, and his 3.91 FIP is an obvious bright spot after some ugly outings earlier in the season. Additionally, Sanchez’ 4.08 SIERA is lower than the SIERA numbers of Gerrit Cole, Julio Teheran, Adam Wainwright and Sonny Gray.

He’ll look to turn in another solid outing on Wednesday against another struggling Minnesota pitcher.

Like Gibson, Duffey has posted much worse numbers after finding success in 2015.

Over 120.1 innings, the 25-year-old’s ERA is an unsightly 6.13. His 11.1 hits allowed per nine innings isn’t stellar either. Of starters with at least 120 innings pitched, Duffey has allowed the fifth-most home runs per nine innings. The starter also owns the 11^th-worst WHIP and the 13^th-highest FIP in the league.

Detroit’s middle of the order could do some serious damage against Duffey on Wednesday.

Miguel Cabrera, J.D. Martinez and Victor Martinez are a combined 19-for-30 with five doubles, four RBI, three walks and a home run against the 25-year-old. Justin Upton is also three-for-five against Duffey with two home runs and six RBI.

Thursday: Hector Santiago vs Mike Pelfrey

Hector Santiago has struggled in seven starts since moving to Minnesota at the trade deadline.

Acquired in a swap involving Ricky Nolasco and Alex Meyer, Santiago’s ERA and FIP aren’t exactly stats to write home about.

The former Angels hurler’s ERA is 6.34, while his FIP sits at 6.22. In just 38.1 innings pitched, Santiago has allowed 44 hits, 28 runs, 14 walks and nine home runs.

Detroit will look to score in bunches off Santiago in support of Mike Pelfrey, who owns the highest WHIP of all starters with at least 100 innings pitched.

Fortunately, a number of Tigers hitters have found success against Santiago. Miguel Cabrera and J.D. Martinez have both gone yard twice off the veteran, while Justin Upton also owns a home run versus the 28-year-old.

Pelfrey, who pitched for Minnesota for parts of three seasons, has actually been somewhat dependable as of late. The 32-year-old is 4-2 with a 3.99 ERA in his last six starts.

The starter allowed just four hits and a walk in five shutout innings versus Houston in his last start. Hopefully he can keep hi scoreless streak going when he matches up with his former employers.

Cleveland Series

Detroit’s starters against Cleveland have yet to be officially announced yet, but they’ll probably be Verlander, Norris and either Fulmer or Boyd.

Facing Cleveland’s best three starters, the series should be an exciting one. Detroit will likely face Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer. All told, the trio has combined for 38 wins. What’s more, their collective WAR is 14.6.

The series won’t be easy, but Detroit will be favorites to win in just about every game Verlander pitches. With the way Fulmer is pitching, the same logic applies to him as well.

What’s more, Cleveland’s starters haven’t been perfect in their careers versus the Tigers. Kluber’s ERA when facing J.D. Martinez and friends is 3.94. The veteran will also have trouble facing two of Detroit’s best hitters.

Miguel Cabrera (21-for42 with 10 RBI, five home runs and two doubles) and Victor Martinez (10-for-32 with five RBI, three home runs and three walks) have both excelled against the former Cy Young winner.

Cabrera (.323), J.D. Martinez (.368), and Jose Iglesias (.308) have all found success against Carrasco as well. Additionally, the former Phillies farmhand has allowed 43 runs in only 76.1 innings against Detroit in his career.

Next: Tigers May Need Another Starting Pitcher

Rounding out the list is Trevor Bauer, who has been much worse than Carrasco lifetime versus the Tigers. Bauer’s ERA is an unsightly 6.55 in 44 innings. That works out to 33 runs allowed in 44 innings. The starter has also walked 21 over the same span.