San Francisco Giants vs. Detroit Tigers Series Preview
The San Francisco Giants have fond memories of the last time they played the Detroit Tigers. During the Giants’ last visit to Detroit, they celebrated their second World Series victory in three seasons. The Giants were crowned the 2012 World Series champions after sweeping the Tigers, and the Tigers had to watch as the Giants celebrated on their home field.
Now, it’s time for a rematch. The Giants and Tigers will play a three-game series at Comerica Park, as the Tigers seek revenge for their 2012 World Series loss.
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Not only will this series be interesting because of a World Series rematch, but both teams are also in tight playoff races right now. The Giants have a 76-64 record, and they are currently two games back from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.
The Tigers are in a similar position. They have an almost identical 77-63 record, and they are currently one game behind the Kansas City Royals in the AL Central.
This series will certainly be an entertaining one, given the playoff and rematch implications, but there are also some intriguing pitching matchups for this series.
Let’s take a look:
Friday Sept. 5th at 4:08 pm PT: Jake Peavy (3-4, 2.66 ERA) vs. Rick Porcello (15-9, 3.10 ERA)
Peavy has been stellar recently on the mound. In his last start, he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers. A no-hitter bid is impressive enough, but against the well-powered offense of the Brewers, it’s even more impressive. He ended up pitching 7 2/3 innings that night, and he gave up just one hit, he struck out eight, and he walked three batters.
In his last start, Porcello faced the Chicago White Sox and gave up an uncharacteristic six runs (only three earned) and 11 hits. This season, Porcello has a career-best 15 wins, and he has an impressive 3.30 strikeout to walk ratio.
Saturday Sept. 6th at 10:08 am PT: Madison Bumgarner (16-9, 2.97 ERA) vs. David Price (2-2, 3.86 ERA)
This is the best pitching matchup of the weekend, and this is definitely one you don’t want to miss, as it’s expected to be a pitching duel.
It was announced on Wednesday that Bumgarner was named the National League Pitcher of the Month for August. Bumgarner is having another excellent year, in which he has an impressive 1.86 ERA on the road.
Price was acquired by the Tigers at the trade deadline from the Tampa Bay Rays. Since being traded to the Tigers, Price has started six games and has gone 2-2 with a 3.86 ERA. He currently leads the American League with 210 1/3 innings and 232 strikeouts.
Sunday Sept. 7th at 5:00 pm PT: Tim Hudson (9-9, 3.08 ERA) vs. Kyle Lobstein (0-0, 3.18 ERA)
Hudson didn’t look sharp in his last start, which was against the Colorado Rockies. He gave up five earned runs, so he hopes to bounce back in this start against the Tigers. Overall though, Hudson has had a solid year for the Giants, who are 16-10 when he is on the mound.
In his last start, Lobstein faced the Cleveland Indians and struck out 10 batters over just 5 1/3 innings. With this accomplishment, Lobstein became the third Tigers pitcher to strike out at least 10 batters in one of his first three Major League games.