The Tigers open a three-game set at Comerica Park on Friday after taking two of three from the Minnesota Twins earlier this week, and Framber Valdez gets the first crack at Colorado.
For Detroit’s veteran lefty, this has been a season with more bumps than anyone expected, especially given what he’s making this year. Lately, though, he’s started to settle in, and another solid outing could pull him into the high 3.00s in ERA.
The challenge is familiar. Comerica Park has not been the soft landing spot Valdez might have hoped for, and home runs have been the biggest problem. He’s set to make his 14th start of the season in Detroit carrying a 4.33 ERA across 72.2 innings at Comerica Park, and the long ball has done a lot of the damage.
Valdez has already given up 10 homers at home this season, the most he’s ever allowed in his career in front of his own crowd. In his final two starts of August at Comerica Park, against the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers, he gave up one homer in each game and was tagged for three runs in both outings. All three of his home runs allowed in August came at Comerica Park.
That pattern has held up lately, too. In his last four starts at Comerica Park, Valdez has allowed one home run, which is exactly the kind of trend he has to reverse against a Rockies lineup that can punish mistakes. Colorado’s record may not jump off the page, but its young power bats have handled left-handers well this season.
The names Detroit has to keep an eye on are clear: All-Star catcher Hunter Goodman, who has 37 home runs; outfielder/designated hitter Mickey Moniak, who has 22; and rookie first baseman TJ Rumfield, who has 15, including four against left-handed pitching.
Valdez also needs to stay away from free passes. The good news for Detroit is that he has walked fewer hitters at Comerica Park than he has on the road this season. If he keeps the ball in the yard and gets the ground balls he wants, the Tigers will have a good shot to start the series on the right foot, as long as the offense shows up again.
In Other News...
Tigers May Have Found A Surprise Arm In The Casey Mize Deal
The Casey Mize trade was always going to be measured by the big-league arms and names at the top, but Jackson Wolf has quietly made it worth a closer look for Detroit. Since joining the Tigers organization, the left-hander has turned in a sharp stretch of work, putting together a 1.63 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings across six appearances, a notable bounce from the rougher version the Tigers got in the deal.
Wolf was hardly a headline prospect when Detroit acquired him. He had been struggling in Triple-A El Paso with a 7.05 ERA and wasnt ranked in the Padres pipeline, which is part of what makes this early turnaround interesting for a Tigers team always looking for usable pitching depth. Whether this becomes a real role for Wolf in Detroit is still to be determined, but his recent form has given the front office an unexpected arm to keep tracking. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Suddenly Face A Wenceel Perez Problem They Can't Ignore
Wenceel Prezs season has hit an unexpected stop at exactly the wrong time for Detroit, with an orbital bone injury from a postgame workout ending his year and knocking him out of baseball activities for now. He is still rehabbing, but the Tigers have been left to sort through a roster picture that already has other moving parts, including Keider Montero headed for the paternity list.
Jack Flaherty is lined up for a simulated game and could be activated soon, while Justin Verlander is set to throw off a mound without facing hitters, so the pitching side keeps inching forward. Even so, Prezs absence lingers as a separate concern because the injury removes an outfield option the club had been counting on, and the longer he stays away from baseball work, the harder it is for Detroit to know what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Justin Verlander Just Took A Step Tigers Fans Have Been Waiting On
Justin Verlanders rehab took a noticeable turn at Comerica Park, where the veteran right-hander threw off the mound against simulated batters as he continues working back from a hamstring injury. The session was a welcome checkpoint for the Tigers, who have been waiting to see how his body responds after the setback, and the early read was encouraging with his velocity and intensity both standing out.
Detroit still has not put a specific return date on Verlander, but the club remains hopeful he can make a late-season appearance if the ramp-up keeps trending in the right direction. Jack Flaherty also took part in a simulated game as he works his way back from right flexor tendon inflammation, giving the Tigers two important rehab watch points as they try to sort out the final stretch of the season. [Read more 🡒]