Game 19 Preview: Tigers head out to L.A. to face Dodgers for weekend series

It has been a tough week for the Detroit Tigers, who’re popping out of a weekend sequence by which they dropped the ultimate two of a three-game set to the Colorado Rockies at residence earlier than embarking on a highway journey to the Twin Cities the place they have been swept in three. Now sporting a five-game dropping streak, the Olde English D heads out west to tackle the juggernaut Los Angeles Dodgers for an additional three video games on the highway to wrap up the month of April and welcome in Might.

On Friday night time — a kind of super-late ones that these of us on the east coast have grown to detest — the Tigers and Dodgers will tangle within the confines of Chavez Ravine in what shall be a battle of two Tylers with comparable names however totally different outcomes to date this season. Right here is how the matchup appears to shake out on the bump within the series-opening recreation.

Time/Place: 10:10 p.m. Dodger Stadium
SB Nation Website: True Blue L.A.
Media: Bally Sports activities Detroit, MLB.television, Tigers Radio Community
Pitching Matchup: LHP Tyler Alexander (0-2, 7.20 ERA) vs. LHP Tyler Anderson (1-0, 2.84 ERA)

Tyler Alexander has confirmed his worth to the Tigers over the previous few seasons as a jack-of-all-trades form of pitcher, filling within the gaps — and there have been a lot of them — whereas exhibiting that he generally is a fairly serviceable choice on Detroit’s employees. One thing of a Swiss Military man, when the damage bug has bitten the previous second-round pick of TCU has responded along with his model of first support. Sadly, the bug has bitten big-time to begin the 2022 marketing campaign (plus some visa points) however this time round, the 27-year-old has struggled a bit after 5 good innings to begin the season, resulting in group losses in all three of his begins.

In his opening look, the left-hander went 5 ¹⁄₃ innings in opposition to the Boston Pink Sox, holding them scoreless for the primary 5 frames earlier than getting knocked out early within the sixth after getting tagged for 3 earned runs. Alexander’s subsequent begin was a dud, throwing 42 pitches simply to get via the primary inning in opposition to the New York Yankees earlier than getting the hook (due partially to the chilly climate) after surrendering a pair of unearned runs, saddling him along with his first loss. Then in his final recreation, he made it via 3 ²⁄₃ innings in opposition to the Rockies whereas giving up 5 earned runs alongside the way in which to earn his second lack of the season. Issues should not going to get a lot simpler for the fourth-year veteran on Friday night time both.

Tyler Anderson will take the mound for the Dodgers using a scorching begin to his seventh main league marketing campaign over three appearances, together with a begin in his final outing. On the floor, the 32-year-old appears to be used equally to the Tigers’ Tyler in that he’s extra of a swingman this season, throwing 4 innings in all of his outings (plus an additional ²⁄₃ throughout his begin) in distinction to the final three years by which he was used completely as a starter. His efforts have resulted in some glowing numbers, albeit in small pattern sizes, together with an 0.87 WHIP and a 135 ERA+.

The lefty will get by with a five-pitch arsenal that’s headlined by his four-seam fastball (90.2 mph) that he makes use of a hair over a 3rd of the time, adopted by a cutter (85.2 mph) that he makes use of almost as a lot, in addition to a changeup (79.4 mph), sinker (88.8 mph) and a rarely-used curveball (74.4 mph), in keeping with Baseball Savant. Anderson’s proclivities in 2022 align effectively along with his strategy final season, although he has leaned on the cutter a bit more durable to this point. The outcomes have been fairly encouraging for the veteran hurler compared to his friends, in keeping with the 2022 MLB Percentile Rankings under.

Key Matchup: Tyler vs. Tyler

The Dodgers are going to attain runs — that actually looks like a given — because the blue boys are eleventh within the majors in batting common (.244), fourth in on-base proportion (.331), first in slugging (.428) and first in OPS (.761). So the important thing for the Tigers’ Tyler is to maintain the harm to a minimal till the bullpen can take over and seal the deal. Then again, Detroit doesn’t stand an opportunity if they can not put some huge numbers on the board, so the bats might want to escape of their funk and discover a method to pester what has too usually been the bane of the Bengals — a soft-throwing lefty.