Steve Mitchell-USA Today Sports
Where: Comerica Park
Probable Pitchers: Friday: Paul Maholm (3-1, 1.03) vs. Anibal Sanchez (2-1, 1.75); Saturday: Kris Medlen (1-2, 2.16) vs. Rick Porcello (0-2, 11.08); Sunday: Mike Minor (3-1, 1.80) vs. Doug Fister (3-0, 2.00).
Keys: The Detroit Tigers field an impressive lineup that is second in the American League in both average (.269) and on-base percentage (.337). Keeping Austin Jackson and Torii Hunter off the bases will help in limiting the production of Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder, who have combined to drive in 41 of the Tigers’ 88 runs on the season. Not many teams have been able to get Hunter out in the early going as he currently leads the American League with a .373 average. Cabrera and Fielder will get their hits, so it’s important for the Atlanta Braves‘ rotation to limit their run-producing opportunities.
Fielder has torched left-handed pitching in 2013 (.435), and the Braves will send left-handers Maholm and Minor to the hill in this series. Something will have to give as Fielder has also hit a respectable .288 for his career against left-handed starters while Maholm and Minor have torched hitters from the left side this season. Maholm has held lefties to a .097 average while Minor has held them to .050. Whoever wins that battle will give their team a big advantage.
The Braves will like their chances if they can hang around with the Tigers early in the game. While the Tigers boast the third-best starters’ ERA in the American League (3.38), their bullpen ranks dead last at 4.86. If these games come down to the bullpens, the Braves will come out on top in this series.
What to Watch: The weekend series will be the first time the Braves play at an American League park and get to use a designated hitter in their lineup. The Braves lineup already plays like an American League lineup and will even more so this weekend. Evan Gattis and Juan Francisco will likely be the primary beneficiaries of the designated hitter.
The Braves are still looking for answers at the top of the order. Neither Andrelton Simmons or B.J. Upton have looked particularly comfortable at the spot thus far. With Jason Heyward still out, look for Jordan Schafer or Reed Johnson to get a crack at the leadoff spot at some point. Schafer especially has played well and could serve as a primary fix for the time being.
Can the Braves continue to hit Friday night’s starter Sanchez hard? Sanchez is 4-11 with a 5.42 ERA in his career against the Braves. However, he is off to a good start in 2013, sporting a 2-1 record and 1.75 ERA.
Outlook: This looked to be one of the toughest series of the first month as the season began. Even though the Tigers (10-10) haven’t started the season as they hoped, they still will be a tough opponent for the Braves. The Braves will send out their three best pitchers so far in 2013 while they miss reigning American League MVP Justin Verlander. Winning two of three won’t be easy, but the pitching matchups make it a plausible outcome.
