Detroit Tigers lineup vs Houston Astros: Riley Greene back at leadoff with Skubal on mound
Detroit Tigers (19-19) vs. Houston Astros (14-24)
When: 6:10 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Comerica Park in Detroit.
TV: Bally Sports Detroit. (Have Xfinity but still looking for a way to watch BSD? Here are some other options.)
Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1). (Tigers radio affiliates).
Weather report: 57 degrees and mostly cloudy, 21% chance of precipitation, 15 mph winds.
Probable pitchers: Tigers LHP Tarik Skubal (4-0, 1.90 ERA) vs. Astros RHP Cristian Javier (2-0, 1.54 ERA).
Tigers lineup:
LF Riley Greene
RF Mark Canha
CF Wenceel Pérez
DH Kerry Carpenter
3B Matt Vierling
2B Colt Keith
1B Spencer Torkelson
SS Zach McKinstry
C Jake Rogers
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Game notes: If you've watched a lot of the Detroit Tigers this year (assuming Xfinity and Bally Sports didn't make that impossible for you), you know that the Tigers are a team that finds themselves in quite a few pitching duels.
The Tigers allow 3.86 runs per game, which ranks 10th in MLB, while their 4.03 runs scored per game ranks 21st in the league. It doesn't take a mathematician to see that leaves little room for error and is one of the reasons the Tigers have ended up in a lot of close games.
Taking those stats a step further, when you look at just earned runs against, which factors in errors that lead to runs that otherwise would not have scored, the Tigers fair even better with just 3.30 earned runs allowed per game, good enough for sixth in MLB and a sign of just how brilliant the Tigers' pitchers have been for the large part.
On Saturday, the Tigers will have the ace of their strong pitching staff on the mound. The Astros will feel great about who they have leading things off as well. If you like pitching, this could be the game for you.
Let's first focus on Tarik Skubal. The lefty missed the first half of last season with a scary injury, but came back and immediately started dominating (and we mean immediately in the literal sense. His first appearance in 2023 was a four-inning no-hitter in which the only base runner was a hit batter). There were some bumps along the way, but by the time September rolled around, Skubal was cooking. The strong finish to last year set up big expectations for Skubal in 2024, and he has not disappointed.
In seven total starts so far this year, Skubal has given up more than two earned runs just one time, on Opening Day at Comerica Park against the Oakland Athletics, a game that the Tigers came back and won. In three of his starts this year, he's gone five or more innings without giving up any runs at all. And his last time out against the New York Yankees, he had the opposing hitters guessing for much of the start, striking out 12 Yankees batters with his elite pitch mix. The Tigers' starting rotation has proven to be really solid this year, but there's little debate that when Skubal is on the mound, the Tigers have their best chance to win.
On the other side will be another pitcher who got off to a red-hot start in 2024, Cristian Javier. The 27-year-old right-hander is making his first start since a brief stint on the injured list because of neck discomfort, but prior to picking up the early season injury, he was dealing.
Javier started the season with back-to-back shutout appearances over 11 innings, allowing just one hit in his second start. He continued the impressive run in his third and fourth outings, allowing just two earned runs in each of those appearances, but hasn't pitched since April 14. Now making his return almost a month later, the Tigers will hope that Javier has some rust to wipe off and doesn't just pick right back up where he left off.
After Saturday's showdown, the two squads will meet one final time on Sunday, with legendary former Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander scheduled to make the start for Houston. Jack Flaherty is set to pitch for the Tigers.
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Live updates
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers game vs. Houston Astros: Time, TV channel, lineup
