3 Predictions for the Detroit Tigers home opener

Detroit Tigers Spencer Turnbull will have a bounce back start.

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Spencer Turnbull got off to a rough start in 2023. It was certainly not what he was hoping for in his return to the mound after quite a gap in starts due to his time away from the field recovering from Tommy John surgery.

It was a long road back, and the first start was a big smack in the face for Turnbull. He went just 2.1 innings for the Tigers, allowing eight hits, walking three, and allowing seven runs. On the bright side, he did punch out three.

It was not a good start for the 30-year-old right-hander. Turnbull did not execute his pitches well, and when he did, the Rays were able to ambush him. He's hoping to go out tomorrow and be able to execute from the first inning and really get things going. The Tigers have to be hoping for more from Turnbull.

In a perfect world, Turnbull should be able to stick around and be a solid starter in the back of the rotation. However, the Tigers need him to improve his performance first and foremost. As he looks to get back on track, the home opener will be his game to lose.

Before sustaining his injury in 2021, Turnbull threw a no-hitter and was settling into the rotation quite nicely. Turnbull pitched in nine games with 50.0 innings, where he managed a 2.88 ERA, a 0.98 WHIP, and 44 punchouts to just 12 walks.

The Tigers right-hander can right the ship early and avoid a string of bad starts to kick off his return to the Tigers rotation. My bold prediction for Turnbull is that he can give the Tigers a quality start. I think Turnbull can pitch six innings and hold the Red Sox to three runs or less along the way.

It's not to say he's going to channel his inner-Jeffrey Springs and throw six innings of no-hit ball, but I think he will get it done for Detroit in the home opener.