Twins at Tigers
The Detroit Tigers host the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday afternoon in the middle contest of their three-game series and they hope to keep their rare early season power barrage going. Detroit has homered in the first seven games of a season for the second time in four years after not doing so since 1913 as James McCann delivered a two-run shot in Tuesday's 2-1 victory for his third homer of the campaign after belting a career-high 12 in 2016.
Minnesota has dropped two of its last three after a promising 4-0 start helped erase the memory of losing nine straight to open last season, leading to a 59-103 finish. The Tigers' Miguel Cabrera went 1-for-3 on Tuesday, marking only the second time in seven games he's gotten a hit this season as he endures a 3-for-24 start with nine strikeouts. The Twins' Byron Buxton is even worse at 2-for-29 with 17 strikeouts after fanning three times Tuesday. Detroit's Michael Fulmer, the 2016 American League Rookie of the Year, was effective with six shutout innings in his 2017 opener and opposes Kyle Gibson, who yielded two home runs in his first start of the season after permitting a career-high 20 in 2016.
TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FSN North (Minnesota), FSN Detroit
PITCHING MATCHUP: Twins RH Kyle Gibson (0-0, 5.40 ERA) vs. Tigers RH Michael Fulmer (0-0, 0.00)
Gibson earned a no-decision after allowing three runs, five hits and two walks while striking out five in five innings of Minnesota's 5-3 victory over Kansas City on Thursday. The 29-year-old Indiana native, who will be making his 100th major-league start, is 4-5 with a 4.84 ERA in 10 starts versus Detroit - 2-3, 4.37 in six turns at Comerica Park. Gibson has managed to keep Cabrera (.318 average, one home run in 22 at-bats) and Victor Martinez (.259 in 27 at-bats) under control.
Fulmer received a no-decision after permitting four hits and two walks while striking out four in the Tigers' 6-5 victory over Boston on Friday in their home opener. “I was amped up,” The 24-year-old Oklahoman told reporters. “The crowd was buzzing from the introductions and honestly, they didn’t stop the whole game. As players, we feel that on the field and we feed off the crowd’s energy.” Fulmer won his only start against Minnesota - a 9-2 victory in Minneapolis in his first career appearance April 29 when he yielded two runs and seven hits in five innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cabrera's career averages by month from April through September range from .313 to .332.
2. Twins C Jason Castro went 2-for-4 and drove in a run Tuesday, raising his average to .353 with six RBIs.
3. Detroit LF Justin Upton (.125) returned to the lineup Tuesday after missing Monday's game because of upper back tightness and went 0-for-2 with a run scored.