The O’s look to win their third series in a row when they head to Comerica Park to take on the Detroit Tigers this weekend. They took two of three from the Yankees in the Bronx and were two outs away from their first sweep there since 1986 if it weren’t for a Nick Swisher two-run walk-off homer against Koji Uehara. The Tigers have won five of their last seven games and are coming off a series win against the White Sox at home. They are sitting at 70-70 and are all but out of the playoff race in a season where most people expected them to at least be in contention. The two teams have met three times this season with the Tigers sweeping the O’s at home back in July while scoring 23 runs in the process.
Friday, September 10, 7:05pm
Orioles – Kevin Millwood (3-15, 5.38 ERA)
Tigers – Armando Galaragga (4-5, 3.89 ERA)
Millwood is the league-leader in losses, most of which were the result of little-to-no run support. He hasn’t pitched as bad as his record indicates, but still hasn’t been able to put together a string of quality starts as of late. In his last start against the Angels, Millwood allowed four earned runs on seven hits while walking five in 5 2/3 innings. He is hoping his next outing against the Tigers isn’t like his last, when he only lasted one inning while giving up five runs on four hits. Galaragga’s last start was against the Royals where he allowed four hits on one run through five innings. He did walk five batters, which may have been the result of elbow stiffness he experienced during the game.
Saturday, September 11, 7:05pm
Orioles – Jeremy Guthrie (9-13, 3.89 ERA)
Tigers – Max Scherzer (10-9, 3.51 ERA)
Guthrie continued to impress against the Rays last Saturday as he threw seven strong innings and allowed just two runs on six hits while striking out a season-high seven. He has solidified himself as the O’s ace this season and has won four out of his last six decisions while continuing to lower his team-best ERA. Guthrie has a chance to finish .500 or above especially if he continues to dominate batters like he has been. Scherzer has been impressive lately and has only allowed seven runs in his last 37 1/3 innings pitched while winning three decisions in a row. He wasn’t as impressive in his last outing as he has been, but still managed to receive a no-decision after giving up four runs on nine hits in 7 1/3 innings against the White Sox. The last time Scherzer faced the O’s, he pitched seven strong innings while allowing just one run on six hits in a 4-2 Tigers win.
Sunday, September 12, 1:05pm
Orioles – Chris Tillman (1-4, 7.42 ERA)
Tigers – Justin Verlander (15-8, 3.53 ERA)
In his first start since being recalled from Triple-A Norfolk, Tillman received a no-decision against the Rays. He went 5 1/3 innings and allowed three runs on six hits, but continued to struggle with his command as he walked three more batters. Hopefully he will be able to get his command under control and become a regular part of the starting rotation. Verlander continues to be one of the best pitchers in the league and is quietly putting together another nice season. He held the White Sox to one run on five hits over seven innings last Tuesday earning his 15th win of the season. Verlander hasn’t faced the O’s yet this season, but he struggled a bit in two starts against the O’s last year allowing eight runs on 18 hits in just 14 innings pitched.
Submitted by Steve Giles
