DETROIT ― The Tigers might’ve picked a bad time for a hitting lull.
Not that there is ever a good time, but this seems especially ill-timed.
With the Dodgers rolling into Comerica Park, the Tigers will face a pair of two-time, Cy Young-winning left-handers Friday and Saturday ― Tarik Skubal and Blake Snell.
And, according to Dodgers’ beat writers, there is a chance Shohei Ohtani could make his first mound appearance since July 3 on Sunday.
Ohtani, according to manager Dave Roberts, is scheduled to throw a bullpen at Comerica Park on Friday. If that goes well, he likely will be deployed as an opener and pitch one inning in the series finale.
Ohtani was 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts before being shut down from pitching with left knee soreness. The four-time MVP has 30 homers, 80 RBIs and is carrying a .927 OPS.
The last time he pitched in Detroit was July 27, 2023. He was with the Angels and he pitched a complete-game, one-hit shutout in the first game of the doubleheader and hit two homers in the second game.
The Tigers won’t get much of a break when Ohtani leaves the game Sunday, either. The tentative plan is for right-hander Tyler Glasnow to pitch bulk relief. It would be Glasnow’s second outing after missing three months with back spasms.
There is media speculation that the Ohtani-Glasnow piggy-back could be used for the remainder of the regular season while Ohtani builds his pitch count back up.
Dodgers at Tigers▶ First pitch: 1:10 p.m. Saturday, Comerica Park, Detroit
▶ TV/Radio: Detroit Sports Net/97.1 FM
Scouting report
▶ LHP Blake Snell (2-1, 2.57), Dodgers: The Tigers will be facing a two-time Cy Young-winning lefty for the second straight game. Snell missed the first four months after having loose bodies removed from his elbow, similar to the Cy Young winner they faced Friday (Skubal). This will be Snell’s fifth start since returning and he’s been nails in his last three, allowing one run or less in three six-inning outings. The average velocity on his four-seamer is 1 mph firmer than last year (96.1 mph) and hitters are 1 for 20 with 11 strikeouts against curveball with a 47% whiff rate.
▶ RHP Keider Montero (9-8, 3.30), Tigers: It will be 11 days since his last start. The Tigers gave him extra days after his stuff looked flatter than usual against the Pirates in Pittsburgh. He’s already thrown a career-high 133.2 innings working both in the rotation and, for a stretch, as a leverage reliever. His stuff, until last time out, has held up well. He’s 2-2 in August with a 3.09 ERA, holding hitters to a .169/.242/.301 slash-line.
@cmccosky
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Tigers to face Cy Young winners Skubal, Snell and Shohei Ohtani, too?
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