The Detroit Tigers (29-23) are set to take on the Baltimore Orioles (30-24) in the first of a three-game weekend series between playoff teams of a year ago. First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. and the game can be live streamed free here or at MLB.com with a subscription. Orioles fans can tune into the radio broadcast on 1090 WBAL while Tigers fans can listen in on 97.1 The Ticket.
While the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees duke it out in the Bronx this weekend over first place in the American League East, the Orioles, just 2.5 games behind Boston in the standings and a half game back of the Yankees, will attempt to keep pace against a formidable foe.
They could be catching the Tigers at a good time. After an unconscious week by Miguel Cabrera in which he was swatting home runs on an almost daily basis, he has cooled over his last seven days, posting a .231 batting average with one home run and two RBI during that stretch.
In the same seven day span, Prince Fielder's batted a matching .231 while hitting zero home runs and driving in only one run. The Tigers are on a three-game losing streak.
Looking to keep that ferocious lineup down for the Orioles will be Miguel Gonzalez (2-2, 3.94 ERA). He will face off against Max Scherzer (7-0, 3.42), one of Major League Baseball's premier strikeout artists.
In 68.1 innings this year Scherzer has struck out 81 batters, while walking only 16, good for a strikeout to walk ratio of 5.06, good for eighth in all of baseball. While Scherzer has always had the strikeout chops, in 2013 he's grown as a pitcher.
"He's added a curveball a little bit more, just another weapon, just kind of a 'show-me' pitch," manager Jim Leyland said. "When he gets in that arm slot and can be repetitive with it, he's pretty nasty."
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