Detroit Tigers pound Texas Rangers, 11-2: Game thread replay
Detroit Tigers (48-78) vs. Texas Rangers (58-67)
When: 7:05 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Globe Life Field, Arlington, Texas.
TV: Bally Sports Detroit.
Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1; other radio affiliates).
First-pitch weather forecast: Partly cloudy, low-90s (Globe Life Field has a retractable roof).
Probable starting pitchers: Tigers LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (2-3, 3.89 ERA) vs. Rangers LHP Dallas Keuchel (2-7, 8.53 ERA).
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Tigers lineup
1. Riley Greene, CF2. Victor Reyes, LF3. Javier Báez, SS4. Eric Haase, DH5. Willi Castro, RF6. Harold Castro, 1B7. Jeimer Candelario, 3B8. Tucker Barnhart, C9. Zack Short, 2B
Game notes: There’s the old cliché about teaching your newborn to throw a baseball left-handed and never having to worry about money, and, folks, Dallas Keuchel is living proof.
The 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner will be starting for his third franchise in 2022 alone — he previously posted a 7.88 ERA in 32 innings and eight starts for the Chicago White Sox, followed by a 9.64 ERA in 18 2/3 innings for the Arizona Diamondbacks — as he makes his debut for the squad located in his namesake metro area. (Sadly, Dallas still will not be starting IN Dallas; the Rangers’ Globe Life Field is approximately 18 miles from Dallas proper.) The Rangers will be paying Keuchel a prorated share of the league minimum salary … because the ChiSox are still on the hook for his full $18 million salary this season (plus a $1.5 million buyout of his 2023 option).
The bearded 34-year-old was an effective pitcher as recently as 2020, posting a 1.99 ERA over 11 starts with the ChiSox in that abbreviated season and finishing fifth in AL Cy Young voting. But his control has since petered out, as he went from 2.4 walks per nine innings in 2020 to 3.3 last year (with a 5.28 ERA for Chicago) to 4.8 this season.
Then again, no team walks less this season than the Tigers, with an average of 2.3 walks per game, so maybe this is Keuchel’s ideal matchup. Of course, there are a few Tigers with solid numbers off Keuchel: Willi Castro is 4-for-7 lifetime with a walk and a triple, and Eric Haase is 6-for-13 with a homer. Keuchel won’t have to face Miguel Cabrera (who DH’ed Friday night), which is good for his walk total; Miggy is just 6-for-27 (.222) in his career but has seven walks for a .382 OBP.
[ Tigers 2023 schedule: Opening Day on March 30 at Tampa Bay Rays ]
Meanwhile, the Tigers will send Eduardo Rodriguez to the mound for his second start since returning to the team from a lengthy personal absence; he allowed four hits and three walks over five scoreless innings to pick up the win Sunday against the Angels. Tonight will also be his second start in Globe Life Field; he was banged for four runs over five innings by the Rangers in May 2021, though only Charlie Culberson (2-for-3), Adolis Garcia (0-for-3), Nathaniel Lowe (1-for-4) and Nick Solak (2-for-4) remain from that game’s lineup.
The Tigers and Rangers wrap up their series at 2:35 p.m. Sunday; the Tigers have Monday off to return home to face the Seattle Mariners for three games at Comerica Park, while the Rangers get an off-day before resuming their Lone Star State rivalry with the Houston Astros.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers toast Texas Rangers, 11-2: Game thread replay
