The Detroit Tigers get set to clash against the New York Yankees at home in the opener of a three-game set Friday night inside Comerica Park from Detroit, Michigan. They toss out the first pitch at 6:40 pm.
The Yankees are starting to revert to the team that can score runs in bunches. They have won four of six overall and are battling the Baltimore Orioles for the top spot in a competitive AL East division. They are 72-50 overall and have a very slim 1/2 game lead over the Orioles as action resumed on Thursday night.
Aaron Judge is having a historic season and is running away with the AL MVP award, as he has smashed a team-high 43 home runs while batting .333. New York knows they must win the division and avoid a hot team early in the playoffs.
They will send out veteran hurler Gerrit Cole, and they are banking on him to be dominant for them down the stretch. He has a record of 3-2 with an ERA of 4.70 on the season.
The Tigers have struggled this season, though they had a couple of winning streaks here and there. Their hitting has been a struggle, and they have labored in producing runs. They sit four games under .500 on the season and are 13 1/2 back in the AL Central standings. They have no shot at chasing or catching the Cleveland Guardians, who are trying to run away with the division.
They have won straight after dropping three in a row and five out of seven overall.
Detroit is hitting just .232 on the season, and they have only cracked 125 home runs. Their lineup has little power, and they have also done poorly on the basepaths. They have only stolen 57 bases, and no player on the team has more than nine.
They have yet to name a starter as of Thursday night.
The Tigers are 3-2 in their last five games and 4-1 in their last five games against the spread. They are 35-27 in their road games against the number, too, and the totals have gone over in two out of their last five games, and the totals have gone over in 32 out of their last 59 games at home. The Yankees are 3-2 in their last five games and 2-3 in their last five games against the spread, and they are 34-29 in their road games against the number, too. The totals have gone over in four out of their last five games.
