The Detroit Tigers (38-48), one of the lightest-hitting offenses in baseball, are set to host the Toronto Blue Jays (48-40) at Comerica Park on Friday for the opener of a three-game series.
The Blue Jays are in the midst of a six-game road trip. They are coming off a three-game sweep of the White Sox, ending the series by taking both games of a doubleheader on Thursday at Guaranteed Rate Field.
They followed up a 6-2 win in the opener with a 5-4 victory in the second leg. Whit Merrifield was 2 for 4 with two solo home runs in the finale. Matt Chapman added a solo home run and a double.
The Tigers are in the midst of a six-game homestand. They lost two of three against the Athletics in their last series, taking the finale 9-0 on Thursday at Comerica Park.
Javier Baez went 3 for 3 with a double, two runs, and two RBIs. Jake Marisnick added a home run and a double. He scored two runs and had two RBIs.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Blue Jays have won two of three in the season series between the teams, although they dropped a close one 3-1 in their last meeting on April 13 at Rogers Centre.
Spencer Turnbull went five innings, allowing one run on six hits and striking out six, to get the win, and Alex Lange earned his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth.
ON THE MOUND
Alek Manoah (1-7, 6.36 ERA) is in line for the start for Toronto. The right-hander allowed six runs over 0.1 innings in his last start, an 11-4 home defeat against the Astros on June 5. He was charged with the loss, scattering seven hits and walking one.
Manoah has made one previous start against the Tigers this season, a 9-3 home victory on April 11. He surrendered three runs on four hits over 4.1 innings, striking out three and walking five. For Detroit, right-hander Alex Faedo (1-3, 5.54 ERA) gets the ball.
It’s his first appearance of the season against the Blue Jays. In his last start on May 30, Faedo took the loss at home against the Rangers. He threw 4.1 innings and gave up six runs on seven hits, striking out four and walking one in the 10-6 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
The Toronto offense is averaging 4.5 runs per game for the season, with a slash line of .261/.327/.418. Bo Bichette leads the team in OPS at .851. The shortstop is slashing .320/.348/.503 with 15 home runs, 52 RBIs, and 45 runs over 87 games.
Against right-handed pitchers like Faedo this season, the Jays have a .752 OPS. Brandon Belt is the team’s most productive hitter against right-handers with a .844 OPS in 170 at-bats.
Detroit is slashing .231/.301/.369 for the season and averaging 3.9 runs per game, third lowest in the league. Zach McKinstry leads the team with a .709 OPS.
The second baseman has six home runs, 22 RBIs, and 34 runs scored with a slash line of .250/.332/.377. Detroit is averaging 6.0 runs per game in the last five with a better slash line (.250/.316/.460).
The Tigers have a .659 OPS against right-handers in 2023, the third lowest in MLB. With a .710 OPS over 222 at-bats, McKinstry also has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Toronto is on a five-game winning streak in road games, bringing their record to 25-22 in 2023. The Jays have scored 4.7 runs per game away from home while allowing 4.6 runs.
Detroit has gone 19-23 at home this season, averaging 4.0 runs per game while surrendering 5.0. In the last 10 games between the teams at Comerica Park, Toronto is 7-3 with an average scoreline of 5.3-2.3.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Blue Jays are third in the AL East, eight games behind the division-leading Rays. The Tigers are third in the AL Central, six games behind the Twins.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Toronto Blue Jays (-145)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
