Detroit Tigers Batters to Watch in Upcoming Series Against Seattle

Detroit Tigers Hitters Vs Seattle’s Starting Pitchers

Detroit Tigers fans will see Seattle send out the team’s three best starting pitchers.

Longtime ace Felix Hernandez will get the nod on Tuesday in the series opener. He’ll be followed by James Paxton and Hisashi Iwakuma on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.

Felix Hernandez
Age: 31
Major League Seasons: 13
Throws: Right-Handed
Lifetime WAR: 51.3
2017 FIP: 4.30

Easily Seattle’s most experienced starter in the Majors, the longtime Seattle ace hasn’t had the best go of it as of late.

Hernandez, who routinely logged WAR numbers north of 4.5 in his prime, hasn’t been as successful dating back to the start of the 2016 season.

He owns a collective 1.1 WAR since that season began. While his 3.82 ERA last year, and his 3.65 number this season, aren’t terrible, he owns a cumulative 4.59 FIP in the same span.

Considering Felix has been in the Majors for 13 years, it isn’t surprising that a number of Tigers veterans have been successful against him.

Ian Kinsler has faced Hernandez more times (97 plate appearances) than any other pitcher in his career.

The duo used to match up when Kinsler was in the American League West with the Texas Rangers.

Overall, Kinsler is batting just .232, but he owns a .351 on-base percentage, not to mention 12 walks, eight RBI, four home runs and three doubles. He’s also been hit by three pitches.

Nicholas Castellanos has only stepped to the plate against Felix twice, but one of those at-bats ended with the 25-year-old circling the bases.

Elsewhere, Victor Martinez has been plenty successful against Hernandez, with nine hits, six walks, four walks and a home runs against the starter.

What’s more, the designated hitter has only struck out once.

Rounding out the List is Alex Avila, who has a pair of RBI and a .308 batting average in 13 plate appearances against Seattle’s ace.

Detroit Tigers Hitters vs James Paxton and Hisashi Iwakuma

James Paxton
Age: 28
Major League Seasons: Five
Throws: Left-Handed
Lifetime WAR: 7.0
2017 FIP: 1.14

Detroit Tigers batters haven’t faced Paxton much.

Despite the small sample size, James McCann has a hit and an RBI in three at-bats against Paxton. He’s also registered a base knock in a trio of at-bats versus Iwakuma.

Per usual Victor Martinez has found success against a starting pitcher. The veteran has two hits, two walks, a double and an RBI in 10 plate appearances against the starter.

Hisashi Iwakuma
Age: 36
Major League Seasons: Six
Throws: Right-Handed
Lifetime WAR: 11.5
2017 FIP: 7.49

While Paxton hasn’t matched up with Tigers, Detroit has seen Hisashi Iwakuma plenty over the years. Kinsler is 13-for-34 with three home runs, three RBI, three walks and two doubles.

Castellanos has registered five hits in 10 at-bats against the starter, including a double and a solo home run.

Additionally, Martinez has taken Iwakuma deep twice.

All told, the hitter is batting .389 with a 1.228 OPS in 18 at-bats. He’s also collected seven hits, six RBI and a double.

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Considering Iwakuma has struggled so far in 2017 (-0.5 WAR, 5.85 SIERA, 1.377 WHIP, 3.98 strikeouts per nine innings), it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Tigers offense have a strong day at the plate.