Detroit Tigers series preview: Cleveland comes to town

Previewing a big series against the Guardians

After a much-needed series win against the San Francisco Giants, the Tigers will look to their division rival Cleveland Guardians next.

The Tigers went 9-10 against the Guardians last season, have a run differential of -14. It will be their first chance to make an impression on the defending American League Central Champions.

Here’s the pitching matchups for the three game set:

Game 1: Eduardo Rodriguez vs. Hunter Gaddis

Game 2: Spencer Turnbull vs. Peyton Battenfield 

Game 3: Joey Wentz vs. Cal Quantrill

Keys to Victory

The Detroit tigers will need to continue their strong offensive performance as a team. Players like Javier Baez, Nick Maton & Eric Haase hit well for the Tigers against San Francisco & that will need to continue.

A couple of hitters Tigers fans hope will begin to heat up, are the youngsters Riley Greene & Spencer Torkelson. In his last eight games, Greene is just 5-for-33, good for a .152 batting average. He has also struck out 13 times in that stretch. Torkelson has not homered since April 4 and is hitting just .212 in his last eight games.

The Tigers pitching will also need to deliver against Cleveland. The bullpen has struggled mightily this season, but seven scoreless innings from the pen against the Giants on Saturday gives you some hope. 

What to Expect from Cleveland 

The Guardians come into the series against Detroit with a record of 9-7. They are coming off a series win against the Nationals over the weekend.

Josh Bell was the big offseason addition for the Guardians this offseason. The Guardians are 29th in baseball with just 8 home runs. The Tigers have 10 home runs as a team so far this year.

The Guardians team ERA sits at 4.14. The Detroit Tigers team ERA sits at 5.87 which is second worst in baseball. Can the Detroit Tigers win their first series of the season versus a divsion rival and continue their good play as of late? The Guardians will be another good test in what has been a very tough start for the season for Detroit.