Detroit Tigers: Breaking Down the Rest of the Week

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.