Detroit Tigers general manager Scott Harris insisted after trading ace Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize that the franchise wasn’t raising the white flag on this season.
The Tigers backed up those words with a stellar 7-2 road trip that put them in the thick of the American League Central and wild-card races.
They now return to Detroit for a pivotal six-game homestand, beginning with a three-game showdown against the division-rival Cleveland Guardians. That series starts on Tuesday.
Detroit swept a three-game series against the Athletics and took two of three against both Seattle and San Francisco during its West Coast swing.
“The West Coast trip for us is always hard,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said. “The time zone change, stacking a bunch of days in a row, but we won three series and I think that’s where our mentality has really matured over the last few years. We understand if we stack series wins, we have a chance to move in a positive direction.”
Detroit is just two games under .500 for the first time since early May.
“The way that we’re playing, the at-bats we’re having, the way these guys are throwing the ball right now, I think we could play with anybody,” utility man Zach McKinstry told MLB.com.
Right-hander Drew Anderson (4-4, 4.01 ERA) will start the series opener against the Guardians. Anderson was thrust into the starting rotation after the Tigers dealt Skubal and Mize, who are both headed to free agency.
Anderson was signed in the offseason to compete for a starting role but wound up in the bullpen. He has struggled in relief, allowing nine homers and 20 walks in 56 1/3 innings.
Anderson pitched well in his new role on Wednesday, tossing 3 2/3 scoreless innings against the Mariners. He is 0-1 with a 7.88 ERA in four career outings (one start) against the Guardians.
Cleveland will counter with right-hander Tanner Bibee (4-11, 3.85), who struck out a season-high 10 batters against the New York Mets on Wednesday. Bibee also allowed four runs on four hits — including three homers — and wound up with a no-decision.
He has posted two of his best outings this season against the Tigers. On May 20, Bibee held them to one run and four hits in eight innings. On June 12, he limited them to two solo homers in seven innings.
Overall, Bibee is 5-3 with a 3.20 ERA in 11 career appearances (all starts) against Detroit.
While the Tigers are surging, the Guardians have nosedived the past three weeks. They have lost 13 of their last 17 games.
“We’re not thrilled,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “It’s been around a couple weeks for us, and it’s time to turn it around on Tuesday.”
Cleveland recorded an 8-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Friday before dropping the last two games of the series.
“As a team, we’re trying to do too much,” Vogt said. “Everyone’s trying to do just a little too much, be a little too perfect. We just had a conversation about that in the clubhouse (on Sunday). We just have to relax. We have to be ourselves. Who we are is good enough, and I think we’ve lost sight of that.”
–Field Level Media
