Verlander looks to be the losing streak stopper once again
The LA Angels are making their first stop of the year in Detroit this weekend. The Tigers are still sitting in first place despite being swept by the Red Sox at Comerica Park this week. The Angels are still treading water and sit in 2nd place in the AL West behind the Texas Rangers.
Back in mid April, the Tigers went out to LA and lost 2 of 3 to the Angels in a series that saw 54 runs scored between the two teams. I wouldn’t expect a similar output in this one as the Tigers offense has fallen on some hard times and the Tigers will also be throwing their 3 best pitchers in this series.
Game 1: 7:05 eastern – Justin Verlander (6-2) v. Ervin Santana (0-2): Justin Verlander has been giving the Tigers a lift every time he takes the mound as of late and looks to end the Tigers 3-game skid by shutting down a tough Angels offense. On the other hand, Santana has only started 4 games this year due to an injury to start the year and has been blasted in his last 2 starts giving up 15 earned runs in 6.1 innings of work. Santana has talent and is likely to get this figured out soon. Let’s hope he waits 1 game.
Game 2: 7:05 eastern - Edwin Jackson (5-3) v. Kelvim Escobar (NS): Jackson is fresh off a fierce performance against the Orioles last Sunday, pitching 8 shutout innings of 2 hit baseball. He continues to defy critics and prove that he has arrived as a legit big leaguer. Escobar will be making his first appearance since 2007 coming off of a severe shoulder injury. Look for the Angels to treat him with care as the Tigers will get a good look at the middle relief of the Angels in this one.
Game 3: 1:05 eastern – Rick Porcello (6-4) v. Joe Saunders (6-4): Porcello, fresh off of his first loss since April, will look to reestablish himself low in the strike zone and neutralize the Angels bats with a lot of ground balls. Saunders has been developing a disturbing trend in the eyes of Angels fans of pitching good against weak offenses and poorly against the better ones. Depending on which Tiger team shows up for this one will be a huge factor. In general, the Tigers have hit the lefty Saunders well in the past.
Tiger Bites: the Tigers are expecting DH Marcus Thames to return to the lineup in the 5-game series starting Monday against the White Sox, the Tigers really could use another home run threat in the lineup and Thames could be just what the Dr. ordered…on the downside, there is no timeframe for Carlos Guillen to return to the team, his shoulder seems jacked up and will only heal with substantial rest