The Tigers are one win away from something they haven’t done in a while: wrapping up a series. Detroit opened its six-game homestand on Labor Day with a tight 5-4 win over Minnesota, getting enough from the offense and just enough stability from the bullpen after Troy Melton worked through some trouble.
Now the Tigers hand Game 2 to Drew Anderson, who will make his ninth start of the season. Since settling into the rotation, the 32-year-old has given Detroit steady results, going 2.57 ERA over six starts and 28 innings, even if the 4.92 FIP suggests the underlying numbers have been less polished.
Anderson’s most recent outing also came against the Twins, and it came in Minneapolis. He went 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on three hits and two walks while striking out five. He didn’t factor into the decision, but Detroit went on to win that game 11-6 in 12 innings.
Minnesota counters with another familiar name in Dean Kremer, a right-hander who will make his third start against the Tigers this season and his second since joining the Twins’ staff. Kremer was on the mound for that same 12-inning game last week, when he allowed four runs on six hits and two walks, struck out five, and also threw a wild pitch across four innings. He, too, was left without a decision.
If Detroit gets this one, it will secure its first series win since taking two of three from the Cleveland Guardians from Aug. 11-13.
In Other News...
Which Tigers Free Agent Fits Scott Harris Would Actually Chase
The Tigers have plenty of moving parts this winter, but the biggest question around the roster is whether Scott Harris and his staff will actually step into the free-agent market in a meaningful way. MLB.coms Mark Feinsand laid out a range of possible targets across second base, the outfield, the rotation and the bullpen, which lines up with Detroits clear needs and the way the front office has tried to balance upgrades with financial caution. There is obvious room to improve, but not every gap carries the same urgency, and not every fit is likely to be chased with the same level of conviction.
What stands out most is how much the bullpen seems to linger as the most obvious place for Detroit to look, especially after recent trades and other roster considerations have reshaped the picture. Offense remains part of the conversation, but there is still skepticism that the Tigers are ready to make a major swing there, which keeps the focus on more practical additions and on which names the club would actually be willing to pursue. For now, the list of possibilities is long, but the real tell will be which of those options the Tigers treat as more than background noise. [Read more 🡒]
River Ryan Just Gave Tigers Fans A New 2027 Rotation Debate
River Ryans latest step back onto the mound offered a reminder of why so many around the Tigers are keeping an eye on his recovery. In a rehab start for the Mud Hens, he worked two scoreless innings, struck out two and allowed two hits, while his fastball sat in the upper 90s and touched 98.2 MPH. For a club always thinking ahead on pitching depth, that is the kind of update that naturally gets attention.
Detroit still views Ryan as a candidate to return to the major league rotation, with 2027 the broad target in mind, even if the exact role is far from settled. The bigger question is how he fits into a rotation that is still taking shape, and whether this rehab path is the beginning of a straightforward climb back or just the first clue in a longer roster puzzle. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Fans Just Got An Early Look At A Crucial Pitching Piece
River Ryans first start for Triple-A Toledo on Sept. 9 gave Tigers fans an early glimpse of one of the more intriguing pieces to come back in the Tarik Skubal trade. The right-hander worked two scoreless innings, allowed two hits and struck out the first two batters he faced, a tidy introduction for a pitcher Detroit views as a significant arm for the future.
Ryan arrives with plenty of promise and plenty of baggage, too, given his injury history and past surgery. Even so, he is now the top-ranked pitching prospect in the Tigers system, which makes every outing at Toledo worth watching closely as Detroit evaluates what it has in a trade return that could matter for a while. [Read more 🡒]