Yankees vs. Tigers: Series Preview

After losing two out of three to the Red Sox, the Yankees get more favorable matchups against the Tigers this weekend. That said, the offense still needs to show up and the pitching needs to hold together. Detroit is off to a 4-8 start, several of their big bats are off to awful starts, and the Yankees will be missing the top of the Tigers rotation. Everything is set up for the Bombers to beat up this team and regain ground in the standings.

Despite early injuries, Aaron Hicks is back with the team, allowing the outfield to get back to its normal formation. Tyler Austin will miss the series while serving his suspension for fighting, which will require Neil Walker to move over to first base in the interim. The Yankees rearranged their rotation in order to put Sonny Gray up against the Red Sox on Thursday night, so that means CC Sabathia’s spot will have to be filled by someone for Game Two of this series.

Game 1: Jordan Montgomery vs. Mike Fiers

Despite Montgomery’s struggle to stay in the game last time around, he probably has the advantage against Mike Fiers. This will be the second time the Tigers will rely on the 33-year-old Fiers, and despite his success last time out, it’s clear that he is no longer the guy he was in Houston a few years ago. That being said, we can’t have a repeat of Montgomery’s last start.

Game 2: TBD vs. Francisco Liriano

The Yankees will need to make a decision about who will fill in for CC this time around. Whoever gets the ball, they will have their work cut out for them because the Liriano has typically handled the Yankees well over the years. The good news is that both Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge have monstrous numbers at Comerica Park.

Game 3: Luis Severino vs. Matthew Boyd

The Yankees have the clear advantage in the pitching matchup for the final game of the series. A no. 1 against a no. 5 is certainly a nice matchup for New York, but Severino struggled last time out against Boston. Boyd is off to a solid start to the year, but his inability to strike anyone out and disappointing past work give the Yankees the best chance to leave Detroit with a win.

If they can come out of this series winning at least two games out of three, they will be in great shape with another two games against the Miami Marlins in the Bronx. Hopefully, if everything goes well, the Yankees will be back over .500 by the end of the weekend.