The Detroit Tigers got off to a dismal 9-24 start, and they won’t be making the playoffs, but they enter their series on Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates above .500 since the All-Star break and are starting one of their up-and-coming pitchers, Tarik Skubal.
After going 0-8 in Skubal’s first eight pitching appearances this season, the Tigers are 10-8 in his last 18 starts. Skubal has allowed two runs or fewer in four of his last five starts and has completed at least five innings in 11 straight starts.
Bryse Wilson is expected to start for the Pirates. He seems to be clicking in Pittsburgh after being traded from the Atlanta Braves, lowering his walks-per-nine-innings rate to 2.2 after it was four in his 22 career pitching appearances in Atlanta. Opponents are hitting .242 off of him as a Pirate after he allowed opponents to hit .320 against him in seven appearances with the Braves this season.
The Pirates rank last in the majors in both total runs and home runs, while the Tigers are averaging just under 1.2 home runs per game, the third-fewest rate in the AL.
The Tigers entered Sunday ranked fifth in MLB in bullpen ERA since the All-Star break, and with Detroit having allowed four runs or fewer in eight of its previous 10 road games entering Sunday, expect the offenses to be on vacation this Labor Day in Pittsburgh.
The play: Tigers-Pirates total, Under 8.5 runs.