Series Preview: The Detroit Tigers host the New York Yankees

The Detroit Tigers will play a three-game series against the New York Yankees at home beginning today. Here’s what to expect.

The Detroit Tigers head back home to Comerica today to begin a three-game series with the New York Yankees. This series will feature the team with the best record in the MLB against the team with the worst record, and all bets will be on the Yankees to sweep the series. Don’t count Detroit out just yet though.

If Detroit hopes to win against New York, they will need to contain the Yankees’ powerful offense and take advantage of their average pitching. The Yankees have the second-most home runs in the entire MLB, but they are in the middle of the pack for team ERA. The dimensions of Comerica park make it one of the better places to play against a power-hitting team, so Detroit’s pitching can keep the ball in the yard, they should be able to pull off an upset.

If the Tigers are going to succeed, they will need a few players to step up on offense. It goes without saying that every pitcher will need to be on top of their game, but the Tigers will need their young hitters to do so as well. Victor Reyes and Harold Castro will need to stay hot, and Jake Rogers and Travis Demeritte will need to turn things around at the plate. The Yankees average 5.77 runs per game, so Detroit’s lineup has their work cut out for them.

This series will probably not have any playoff implications, but the Yankees could still lose the division to the Tampa Bay Rays, who are currently nine games behind the Yanks in the AL East. If the Yankees have a terrible September and the Rays step up, there is a chance that they could drop the division. The Tigers have been eliminated for a while now, so they are just looking to get experience for their young players and play spoiler.

The first game of the series starts tonight at 6:40 p.m. EST. Detroit is mainly playing for pride at this point in a bad season, but being able to stay confident and win games even when things are going bad is an important skill to have moving forward. This series against the Yankees could be a great chance for the Tigers to prove that they can be competitive in the future.