The Detroit Tigers are coming off a 2-1 win over the Boston Red Sox yesterday. Today they take on the Atlanta Braves and they will send Reese Olson to the mound to make his third start of the spring. The Tigers lineup to start today’s game will be:
3B – Zach McKinstry
CF – Wenceel Perez
DH – Kerry Carpenter
LF – Justyn-Henry Malloy
2B – Colt Keith
C – Carson Kelly
RF – Bligh Madris
1B – Ryan Vilade
SS – Ryan Kreidler
Tigers News & Notes
Closer
AJ Hinch on the foul territory mentioned he is still deciding who his closer will be for 2024 and is looking at five different pitchers to take the role he mentioned Alex Lange who led the team in saves with 26, Jason Foley who was second with seven, Will Vest, who had two saves, Andrew Chafin who had eight saves last season, and Shelby Miller who had one save last season.
Alex Lange
Lange this spring has appeared in two games, and he posts an 18.00 ERA in two innings with a 3.00 WHIP and five strikeouts.
Jason Foley
Foley has appeared in two games, and he posts a 16.20 ERA in 1.2 innings with a 2.40 WHIP and two strikeouts.
Will Vest
Vest in three games posts a 6.75 ERA in 2.2 innings with a 1.88 WHIP and two strikeouts.
Andrew Chafin
Chafin posts a 9.00 ERA in two games having thrown just two innings and he posts a 1.00 WHIP and four strikeouts.
Shelby Miller
Miller in two games has not given up a run and posts a 0.50 WHIP with two strikeouts in two innings.
It’ll be interesting who Aj Hinch picks to be the closer for the start of the 2024 season. Right now, based on numbers it’s tough to not lean toward Shelby Miller but Lange was the main guy for the Tigers last season. It’ll be a difficult decision but there are still four weeks left of camp and anyone can change their numbers and figure things out to claim to role.
Tarik Skubal
Skubal made his second start yesterday against the Red Sox and continued to dominate as he went three innings and didn’t allow a run, he did give up one hit; he didn’t walk anyone and struck out six. He averaged 97.4 mph and he maxed out at 99 mph. This spring he has a 0.00 ERA, a 0.40 WHIP, and eight strikeouts in five innings.
Third Base
The Tigers have a few options at third base, it’s likely Gio Urshela will get the start on Opening Day, but a few other options are Matt Vierling, Andy Ibanez, and Zach McKinstry. Urshela since signing with the Tigers has played in five games and is hitting .250 with a .500 OPS; he has three hits in 12 at-bats and has struck out twice. Vierling this spring has played in six games, and he is hitting .091 with a .468 OPS; he has one hit in 11 at-bats with two RBI, two runs scored, and three walks. Ibanez has been having a nice spring and is hitting .333 with a 1.257 OPS; he is 6-18 with a double, three home runs, four RBI, four runs scored, and one walk. McKinstry in five games is hitting .333 with a 1.714 OPS; he is 2-6 with a double, a home run, three RBI, four runs scored, and eight walks.
