Detroit, MI

Mark Canha starts at first base. Here’s how often Detroit Tigers plan to put him there.

Published

2 years ago

April 21, 2024

Press Room

Mark Canha starts at first base. Here’s how often Detroit Tigers plan to put him there.

MINNEAPOLIS — For the first time, Mark Canha started at first base for the Detroit Tigers.

He isn’t a first baseman, but has experience there throughout his career. The 35-year-old, primarily a corner outfielder and designated hitter, already spent two innings at first base — one inning April 9 and one inning April 15 — this season, both times as a defensive switch after starting in the outfield.

Canha started his first game at first base in Sunday’s series finale against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Manager A.J. Hinch plans to start Canha at first base approximately once every two weeks.

“He’s done it,” Hinch said. “He doesn’t do it often, but he puts in a lot of work to play the position. He’ll only be a fill-in from time to time, but it’s good to get Tork a day to just DH and keep Mark fresh at first base. It’s a little bit different on the body for him, as well. It’s not a DH day, but it’s certainly less running than in the outfield. It’s something we were looking forward to at some point.”

KENTA EXPLAINS: Tigers’ Kenta Maeda pinpoints pitching mechanics as reason for bad start to 2024

Don’t expect Canha to become the new regular first baseman.

That job still belongs to Spencer Torkelson.

Torkelson, who made a costly fielding error in Saturday’s 4-3 loss, served as the designated hitter in Sunday’s series finale. As for the outfield in Sunday’s game, the Tigers put Riley Greene in left field, Kerry Carpenter in right field and Parker Meadows in center field.

“We need Mark to play,” Hinch said, “and I wanted to keep the outfield intact, too. It’s hard to get the outfield configuration that we want. Going into the turf in Tampa (at Tropicana Field), I think everybody’s going to DH that’s out there, except for Parker. I’m looking at the next four days.”

KERRY BONDS: Kerry Carpenter: The one Tiger locked in and raking all season

Canha, a 10-year MLB veteran, entered Sunday’s game with 139 games — but just 96 starts and 69 complete games — at first base, covering 871⅔ innings. He is worth minus-5 defensive runs saved at first base throughout his career.

His best position is right field.

Colt Keith on the bench

Second baseman Colt Keith is hitting .183 with six walks and 14 strikeouts across 77 plate appearances in 20 games. He has 13 hits, but just one of those hits — an April 4 double — is an extra-base hit. The 22-year-old has two hits in his last 25 at-bats, spanning seven games.

He didn’t start in Sunday against the Twins.

Hinch started Buddy Kennedy at second base. The Tigers called up Kennedy from Triple-A Toledo before Saturday’s game to take the place of injured third baseman Gio Urshela, who is expected to miss a couple of weeks with a right hamstring strain.

THE OTHER ROOKIE: Tigers switch-hitter Wenceel Pérez fulfills childhood dream by making MLB debut

“He’s scuffling,” Hinch said of Keith. “I want to get Buddy up and running to feel like he’s on this team. Combine that with trying to give Colt a day to decompress. It’s tough in the big leagues, especially when you’re going through it. He’s more than equipped to come out of it. Those two things kind of paired together.”

[ Listen to our weekly Tigers show “Days of Roar” every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts. ]

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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Detroit, MI

Former Piston shows Detroit what they’re missing as he dominates next to LeBron

Published

9 hours ago

April 19, 2026

Press Room

Former Piston shows Detroit what they’re missing as he dominates next to LeBron

The Pistons have made recent moves to add more shooting, but still don’t have anyone quite as lethal as former Detroit guard Luke Kennard. On Saturday night, Kennard had a brilliant start to his postseason with 27 uber-efficient points for the Lakers in a win against the Rockets. His level of 3-point accuracy is something the Pistons have desperately been seeking all season long to bolster their offense.

Luke Kennard’s shooting makes him a dangerous playoff performer

Kennard was originally drafted to Detroit with the 17th pick of the 2017 Draft. The Pistons have plenty of draft regrets from that general era of team history, but picking Kennard has never been one of them. Despite any other weaknesses he may have, his strength as a shooter has always been enough to offset them.

In terms of pure 3-point percentage, Kennard is one of the best shooters in NBA history. He averages 44% behind the arc for his career, and shot a blistering 48% this season – the best mark in the league. Given his incredible track record, it’s not exactly a shocker to see him shoot 5-of-5 from three en route to 27 points in Game 1.

Not only is Kennard obviously an excellent standstill shooter, but he’s also a master of getting himself open with his movement. On Saturday night, he was able to play off LeBron James perfectly for a few easy looks. After that, he caught enough of a rhythm to create 3-point looks for himself, even in transition.

A player like Kennard is easily capable of turning an entire playoff game when he gets hot. In a close series, that one game where Kennard hits several threes can be all the difference his team needs to advance. If the Lakers do manage to win this series, even without Luka Doncic or Austin Reaves, Kennard’s shooting will be a major reason why.

The Pistons could use someone like Kennard

Kennard would be a perfect marginal addition for the Pistons that only makes them better without taking anything away from the team. To be fair, the Pistons do have two shooters who have been hot recently in Duncan Robinson and Kevin Huerter. But having more than one respected shooter on the court at a time is often necessary to maintain a solid offense in today’s NBA.

Given the Pistons’ current lack of shooting, any additional shooters are welcome. And Kennard is understandably one of the most feared shooters in the league, capable of bending defenses just by the threat of him taking a three. Rolling him out on the Pistons would surely open up more lanes for Detroit’s stars to attack the paint and score easier points.

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Detroit, MI

Troopers arrest Detroit woman after drive-by shooting on I-94

Published

21 hours ago

April 18, 2026

Press Room

Troopers arrest Detroit woman after drive-by shooting on I-94

A Detroit woman was arrested in the aftermath of a hit-and-run collision and shooting on Interstate 94, Michigan State Police reported.

Emergency dispatchers were called shortly after midnight Saturday about the altercation. Troopers reported the caller said while they were driving eastbound on I-94, near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, a black Jeep sideswiped them and sped off.

The caller then decided to follow the Jeep.

In response, police said, the driver of the Jeep fired several gunshots in the caller’s direction.

None of the gunshots struck the vehicle.

Troopers were able to use license plate reader camera technology to locate the Jeep while it was on the Lodge Freeway, made a traffic stop. The driver and two passengers were taken into custody without incident.

The passengers were released shortly afterwards; troopers believe that the 19-year-old driver was the shooter. She has been lodged pending further review by the prosecutor’s office.

In addition, a firearm was recovered from the vehicle.

The above video originally aired on Aug. 19, 2025.

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Detroit, MI

Orlando Magic vs Detroit Pistons odds for NBA playoffs Game 1 Sunday

Published

1 day ago

April 18, 2026

Press Room

Orlando Magic vs Detroit Pistons odds for NBA playoffs Game 1 Sunday

Who is favored in the NBA playoffs odds for Game 1 between the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic?

Here’s what you need to know about NBA playoff betting odds for the NBA game between the No. 8 seed Magic and No. 1 seed Pistons, which is being played on Sunday, April 19, 2026.

What is the point spread for the Pistons vs Magic game?

What is the moneyline for the Magic vs Pistons game?

What is the over/under (point total) for betting on the first-round NBA playoff matchup?

Watch Magic at Pistons on Peacock

Magic vs Pistons odds: What is point spread?

According to BetMGM Sportsbook, the Detroit Pistons are an 8.5-point favorite over the Orlando Magic in Game 1 of their NBA Playoffs series.

Pistons vs Magic odds: What is moneyline?

BetMGM Sportsbook lists Detroit as -375 on the moneyline for the first-round NBA playoff game. It has Orlando at +290.

Magic vs Pistons odds: What is over/under?

The point total for the opening game of the NBA playoffs series between the Pistons and Magic is listed at 218.5 points, per BetMGM Sportsbook.

Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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