Indians at Tigers
The Detroit Tigers look to get back to their winning ways when they host the Cleveland Indians in the opener of a three-game set on Friday. The Tigers have dropped three in a row following a 2-1 defeat to the New York Yankees on Thursday and have been limited to just nine runs in their last four games after cruising to a 9-1 win over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday as the cold snap in the Midwest continues to hamper their hot hitting.
"I don't think that the cold weather helps anyone," Detroit manager Brad Ausmus told reporters. "I'd bet that scoring is down in April across the board." The Indians have dropped three of their last four games following a 6-0 drubbing at the hands of the White Sox on Wednesday. Cleveland has lost four of its last six on the road and faces a stiff test against the Tigers, who scored 25 runs en route to a three-game sweep of the Indians at Progressive Field in mid-April. Cleveland hopes to turn its fortunes around by snapping a seven-game losing skid to Detroit, including four straight defeats at Comerica Park last season.
TV: 7:08 p.m. ET, SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland), Fox Sports Detroit
PITCHING MATCHUP: Indians RHP Danny Salazar (1-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. Tigers RHP Shane Greene (3-0, 0.39 ERA)
Salazar pitched a gem in his season debut, allowing just two earned runs while matching a career high with 10 strikeouts in the 4-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday. The 25-year-old will face his toughest test to date against the Tigers and their star slugger Miguel Cabrera, who is 5-for-13 (.385) with a home run versus Salazar. The third-year pro has earned just one victory in five career starts against Detroit and hopes to reverse the trend by leading the Indians to their first win in the Motor City since July 19.
Greene is looking to become the first Tigers pitcher since Frank Tanana in 1998 to win his first four starts of a season. The 26-year-old surrendered just his first earned run of the new campaign during a stellar performance over seven innings on Sunday. Greene leads the American League in wins and ERA and hopes to keep the momentum going by beating Cleveland for the second straight time following a 5-3 win last season.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Tigers are averaging 7.7 runs in their last seven games against the Indians.
2. Detroit closer Joe Nathan is set to undergo season-ending surgery on his right elbow in the coming days.
3. Cleveland is averaging 3.14 runs per game, which is the worst in the AL.