Game one of this series was Tuesday night, with the Detroit Tigers (2-8) jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning. The Toronto Blue Jays (7-4) were unfazed, scoring the next nine runs en route to a 9-3 win in their home opener. Five different Blue Jays homered, and the bullpen threw 1.2 on-hit innings behind Alex Manoah. Detroit only used two pitchers, but neither had a night that they'll want to remember. Luckily, the Tigers can wipe the slate clean immediately, as they are back in the Rogers Centre on Wednesday. With the first pitch set for 7:07 p.m. EST, let's see if Detroit can hold onto a lead this time.
JUST KIDDING, HE PLAYS FOR US NOW pic.twitter.com/34ZIEPmTe5
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) April 11, 2023
After getting swept by Tampa (like every other team) to open their season, the Tigers took two of three in Houston. Since then, they've yet to win again, entering this game on a five-game slide. None of their losses have been competitive either, as each one has been by at least three runs. Detroit wasn't supposed to be a postseason team this season, but they surely imagined better than what they've gotten through 10 games.
If they want to stop the bleeding, Eduardo Rodriguez will have to set the tone when he makes his third start of the season. The former Boston pitcher has plenty of experience with Toronto, facing them 17 times in his career. The results have been ugly though, as he owns a 5.20 ERA and has coughed up 17 homers, tied for his most among every team he's faced. His starts in 2023 haven't been pretty either, as Rodriguez has allowed four walks, nine hits, and seven runs in 10.0 innings . He earned the loss in both starts too.
Assuming that Rodriguez gets through Toronto's batting order unscathed, he'll hand the ball to a reliever group that entered Tuesday 30th in WAR at -0.8. Considering the only reliever that pitched on Tuesday allowed five earned runs in 2.0 innings, along with two homers, those numbers aren't going up. Their bullpen was also 26th in ERA before Tuesday's game, and that ERA is also going to increase from its already putrid 6.18 mark.
Don't expect the offense to bail them out either, as their 30 runs are the fewest in MLB. The Tigers are 29th in batting average, 29th in OBP, and 30th in slugging percentage. Outside of a few players, Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene, and Matt Vierling, nothing is going right at the plate either. Of their 30 runs, 18 came in three games.