Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Minnesota Twins (0-0) vs. Detroit Tigers (0-0)
Time, TV:
Game 1 — Monday, Apr. 6 — 12:08 PM CT (1:08 ET) on FS-N, FS-D
Game 2 — Wednesday, Apr. 8 — 12:08 PM CT (1:08 ET) on FS-N, FS-D
Game 3 — Thursday, Apr. 9 — 12:08 PM CT (1:08 ET) on FS-N, FS-D
Probables:
Phil Hughes vs. David Price
Ervin Santana vs. Anibal Sanchez
Ricky Nolasco vs. Shane Greene
On Monday, the Tigers will welcome the Twins to Comerica Park and officially kick off their 2015 MLB season. Detroit is coming off of four consecutive division titles, whereas Minnesota has finished in last place in three of the past four campaigns. However, even though the Tigers and Twins have found themselves on opposite ends of the AL Central in recent history, this has certainly proven to be a great Midwestern rivalry over the years.
Getting the ball for the Twins on Opening Day will be Phil Hughes.The 28-year-old Hughes, a former first-round draft pick of the New York Yankees, was spectacular in his first season in Minnesota last year, posting a 16-10 record with a 3.52 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP over a career-high 209.2 innings of work. He was rewarded with a three-year, $42 million extension over the winter.
Toeing the rubber for the Tigers will be 2012 AL Cy Young award winner David Price. The 29-year-old Price is coming off of a season in which he went a combined 15-12 with a 3.26 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP during his time with the Tampa Bay Rays and Tigers. Price also set new career-bests last season in categories such as FIP (2.78), strikeouts (271), K/9 (9.82) and innings pitched (248.1).
Of course, this also means that Price will be taking the place of the Tigers’ usual Opening Day man, Justin Verlander, who received the honor in each of the past seven seasons. The 32-year-old Verlander will not be getting the ball on the second game of the season either, as it was announced today that he will begin the year on the 15-day DL with triceps soreness. Therefore, Anibal Sanchez appears likely to move up a spot.
It is also interesting to note that Torii Hunter, who spent the past two seasons with the Tigers, returned to Minnesota on a one-year deal this offseason, so it should certainly be fun to see him square off against his former mates. With Hunter no longer in the Motor City, J.D. Martinez now becomes the Tigers’ everyday right fielder and Yoenis Cespedes, Hunter’s de facto replacement, figures to be the left fielder on most days.
Prediction: This is certainly going to be an entertaining series to watch. The Twins might be eager to show that they are committed to getting back to their winning ways under first-year manager Paul Molitor, but Brad Ausmus‘ Tigers clearly have something to prove yet as well. Look for the Tigers to go out and take two out of three.
* Game times, TV schedules and probable pitching matchups courtesy of MLB.com.
Brad Faber is a Senior Writer and Sabermetrics Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Brad_Faber, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on LinkedIn or Google.
