Detroit Tigers spring training games: Time, TV channel for split-squad matchups
Grapefruit League: Detroit Tigers (6-5-1) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (3-8) and New York Yankees (5-5-1)
When: 6:05 p.m. vs. Blue Jays and 6:35 p.m. vs. Yankees
Where: George M. Steinbrenner Stadium in Tampa, Florida, & Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida vs. Blue Jays.
TV: Bally Sports Detroit Extra vs. Blue Jays, Yankees YES app
Radio: Vs. Blue Jays on WXYT-FM (1270 AM in Detroit; Tigers radio affiliates).
⋅ BOX SCORE vs. Blue Jays.
⋅ BOX SCORE vs. Yankees.
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Probable starting pitchers in Tigers vs. Blue Jays: Tigers RHP Kenta Maeda (6-8, 4.23 ERA in 2023) vs. Blue Jays RHP Bowden Francis (1-0, 1.73 ERA in 2023).
Probable starting pitchers in Tigers vs. Yankees: Tigers RHP Jack Flaherty (8-9, 4.99 ERA in 2023) vs. Yankees TBD.
Tigers lineups: TBD.
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Game notes: After a day off on Wednesday, the Tigers will be busy Thursday, with most of the team seeing action as the squad is split up for two games.
Half of the Tigers team will head west to face the Yankees for the third time this spring training. The Bronx (er, uh Tampa?) Bombers have not named a starting pitcher for the game. The Tigers, however, will have free agent signing Jack Flaherty on the mound. The right-handed pitcher struggled last year in what was one of, if not the worst years of his career, but has looked strong so far in spring training. In his last outing on March 2, he only threw 21 pitches, but 13 of those were strikes, and perhaps even more importantly, he maintained his 95 mph fastball velocity and executed it well. Flaherty is one of three starters on the Tigers roster right now who is a lock for the rotation after signing a one-year, $14 million deal in the offseason, and the Tigers need him to perform well.
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One of the other locks in the rotation, besides Tarik Skubal, will also be throwing Thursday. Kenta Maeda, who the Tigers brought in on a two-year, $24 million deal in the offseason, will be facing the Blue Jays back in Lakeland, Florida. Maeda has been slowly ramping up since arriving at the Tigers' facility and has made just one spring training start so far, in which he threw two innings and struck out two batters.
Both games will be played under the lights, with the game in Lakeland against the Blue Jays starting at 6:05 p.m. and the game against the Yankees beginning at 6:35 p.m.
The Blue Jays game will air on Bally Sports Detroit Extra, so fans are able to check out the game.
Next up, the full Tigers squad will meet back up and make the journey over to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Florida to face the Baltimore Orioles at 6:05 p.m.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers spring training: Time, TV channel for split-squad games
