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Tigers try to inch closer to division title Thursday
By: Freddy Wander - StatFox
Published: 9/25/2014  at  3:03:00 AM
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MINNESOTA TWINS (68-90)

at DETROIT TIGERS (88-70)

First pitch: Thursday, 7:05 p.m. ET
Line: Detroit -290, Minnesota +240, Total: 8

The Tigers have clinched a playoff spot and now hope to get closer to a division title when they host the Twins on Thursday night.

Minnesota started off the year with great promise with some unpredictable performances from unknowns, but has trailed off considerably and currently sits at the bottom of the AL Central division. The Twins have not done well in September, going 9-13, but come into this contest with victories in their past two games. They allowed a mere four runs in those wins against Arizona, and earned a 2-1 win in the rubber match on Wednesday. Starter Phil Hughes (8 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 5 K's) looked great once again, as he was backed by OF Danny Santana (.319 BA) who was 3-for-4 with two doubles and a run. He has a hit in seven of his past nine games played, going 14-for-40 (.350) with six doubles, 3 RBI and eight runs in that timeframe. Detroit clinched a spot in the postseason with on Wednesday, as the club is 11-5 over its past 16 games. The Tigers most recently defeated the White Sox in a three-game series while allowing a mere six runs overall. They won the rubber match on Wednesday by a score of 6-1 as OF J.D. Martinez (3-for-4, 1 run) backed a solid start from Justin Verlander (8 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 6 K's). Superstar 1B Miguel Cabrera (.312 BA) has had a phenomenal September, going 34-for-84 (.405) with nine doubles, six homers, 14 RBI and 16 runs over 22 games. The pitching matchup for this late-season game will put RHP Trevor May (3-5, 8.39 ERA) up against one of the best pitchers in the game; RHP Max Scherzer (17-5, 3.19 ERA) of the Tigers. Minnesota has not done well on the road at 33-44 (.429), while Detroit is 43-34 (.558) in Comerica Park. Surprisingly these two teams have matched up well over the past three seasons with the Tigers holding a slight 28-24 (.538) edge overall while the Twins have been the better team (8-7) in 2014. As far as injuries are concerned, the Twins have C Joe Mauer (elbow) listed as day-to-day, while 3B Trevor Plouffe (arm) is out for the season. The Tigers come into this contest with no significant injuries to their offense.

Trevor May has earned his way to the major leagues with a phenomenal start to the year at Triple-A in which he was 8-6 with a 2.84 ERA and 1.16 WHIP, while struggling with control (3.6 BB/9). He has now pitched nine games (8 starts) with the Twins and has bad luck to blame for much of his poor play with batters hitting .395 BABIP, while he has left a meager 55.7% of runners on base. His control problems have continued as he is walking 4.8 batters per nine innings with a solid strikeout rate (8.4 K/9). May has allowed three or fewer runs in three of his past four outings in which he is 3-1, and he has 13 K's and only two walks over his past two games. He earned a loss in his first start against Detroit when he allowed five runs on 11 hits over 5.1 frames while striking out four (0 walks). In that Aug. 23 matchup, the trio of OF J.D. Martinez, DH Victor Martinez and OF Torii Hunter combined to go 6-for-9, while stud 1B Miguel Cabrera was 0-for-3 in the matchup. The Twins bullpen has gone 21-22 this year with a 3.76 ERA and 1.32 WHIP, and is 37-for-57 (65%) in save opportunities. Jared Burton (4.36 ERA, 3 saves) looks to be the closer to finish out the year and has a low strikeout rate for a reliever (6.5 K/9) while also issuing 3.5 BB/9.

Max Scherzer had a rough start to the year with an ERA over 4.00 in both May and June, but has put together another all-around solid campaign while ranking third in the AL in strikeouts (243) and second in wins (17). He has posted a strikeout rate better than 10.0 K/9 for the third consecutive season in 2014 while walking a mere 2.5 BB/9. Some bad luck has actually occurred with batters hitting .314 BABIP against him, but not many have left the yard, as he is giving up 0.76 HR/9. He has a quality start in six of his past 10 outings, while allowing just one homer in his past four starts (26.2 IP). In his career against the Twins, Scherzer has gone 8-2 with a 4.53 ERA and 1.22 WHIP, while striking out 9.1 batters per nine innings and allowing 11 homers in 93.1 frames. OF Oswaldo Arcia is a solid 3-for-9 with a double, homer and 2 RBI in this matchup, while 2B Brian Dozier has a home run and 4 RBI against Scherzer, but is a meager 2-for-15 with seven strikeouts overall. Detroit’s bullpen has been a trouble spot over the past few years and is 22-17 this season, but carries a subpar 4.21 ERA and 1.47 WHIP, while saving only 39-of-55 (71%) games. Joe Nathan (4.98 ERA, 33 saves) is 33-for-40 (83%) in his own save opportunities while walking far too many batters (4.7 BB/9), and has his lowest strikeout rate since 2002 at 8.4 K/9.


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