Detroit Tigers game score vs. Baltimore Orioles: Live updates with Nick Maton at SS
Detroit Tigers (9-14) vs. Baltimore Orioles (16-8)
When: 6:40 p.m. Thursday, series opener.
Where: Comerica Park in Detroit.
TV: Bally Sports Detroit.
Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1; Tigers radio affiliates).
Starting pitchers: Tigers LHP Joey Wentz (0-3, 7.56 ERA) vs. Orioles RHP Kyle Gibson (4-0, 3.60).
Tigers lineup
1. 3B Zach McKinstry
2. CF Riley Greene
3. 1B Spencer Torkelson
4. SS Nick Maton
5. RF Kerry Carpenter
6. C Eric Haase
7. DH Miguel Cabrera
8. LF Akil Baddoo
9. 2B Jonathan Schoop
P Joey Wentz
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Game notes: Tonight’s homestand opener is a redux of Saturday’s pitching matchup, in which the Tigers’ threatened-but-did-not-score over six innings against Kyle Gibson despite loading the bases with one out in the first inning. (Noted Tigers slugger Zach McKinstry finally got to Gibson with a solo homer in the seventh inning.) In all, the Tigers mustered just two hits and struck out 11 times vs. Gibson in his 25th career start against the franchise, likely leaving a lot of fans yelling — or at least muttering under their breath — “This guy? Really?”
And for good reason: Even with the gem last week in Baltimore, Gibson carries a career 5.64 ERA against the Tigers into tonight’s matchup, with 123 strikeouts, 52 walks and 167 hits allowed over 142 innings. That’s ... not good. In fact, that ERA is the highest of any active pitcher with at least 60 innings against the Tigers, and it’s not really close; José Quintana is next on the list with a 4.85 ERA over 130 innings. (If we lower the bar to 50 innings, Texas’ Martín Perez tops the list with a 6.00 ERA, but we’ll get to him when the Tigers face the Rangers next month.)
Then again, a lot of that damage was done by Tigers no longer on the roster; the current squad is just 26-for-110 (.236) against Gibson, led by Akil Baddoo’s three hits in six at-bats (plus two walks) and Miguel Cabrera’s 10 hits in 38 at-bats (also with two walks).
After tonight’s game, the squads have three more games to finish off their season series — which, somehow, means the Tigers will have played the Orioles more times (seven) over the first five months of the season than fellow AL-East foe Boston will have (six), as the Birds and BoSox don’t meet up again till September. Friday night’s game brings a rematch of the Rodriguezes — veteran Eduardo vs. rookie Grayson — while the weekend brings a pair of day games under likely unpleasant skies and then, finally, an off day Monday for both squads.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers lineup vs. Baltimore Orioles: Live updates
