Starting Pitchers Detroit Tigers Are Turning to Against Los Angeles Angels
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And just like that, the Detroit Tigers are back at Comerica Park and will be hosting another three-game series, this time against the Los Angeles Angels. The Tigers are looking for a much better performance compared to their last homestand, and they've got three games to prove it.
Ending their losing streak at eight games, Detroit needs to start stringing together some wins if it means making anyone care about this franchise going into the summer months. As the mentality goes, the Tigers are going to take it one game at a time, and here's who they're entrusting with the baseball.
Game 1: Keider Montero vs Jack Kochanowicz
The last time that Keider Montero took the mound for the Tigers was last week against the Cleveland Guardians, where he pitched through five innings, allowing two hits and three runs on the back of walking four at the plate.
Montero has been a strong, consistent performer for Detroit amid a ton of injuries and has been pitching well, despite the traffic on the bases caused by free passes. Entering Tuesday's series opener, Montero holds a 3.83 ERA across 49.1 innings of work, with a WHIP of 1.01 alongside 32 strikeouts.
The Angels, they send Jack Kochanowicz to the mound to take on the Tigers. Detroit's offense has been scarce as of late, but Kochanowicz allows some opportunities to take advantage of, entering the series opener with a 4.55 ERA across 57.1 innings of work.
Game 2: Casey Mize vs Jose Soriano
This is who the Tigers want on the mound right now, as Casey Mize has been lights out since returning from injury. While he took the loss his last time out, Mize has lowered his ERA to 2.47 and has been even better at Comerica Park, holding a 1.48 ERA at home this season.
One stellar stat that stands out for Mize is that he hasn't allowed a free pass since returning and has gotten a ton of swing and misses on his splitter and slider alike. Los Angeles strikes out the most in the MLB (516 times entering game one), which should only light up Mize's eyes.
Jose Soriano had a stellar month of April, helping the Angels to six wins in the times Soriano took the ball. May, however, is a different story, as he enters his start against Detroit with a 5.32 ERA this month.
Overall, Soriano has the stuff that the Tigers offense will need to be ready for, but Mize should keep them in the game, like he's done all season long.
Game 3: Jack Flaherty vs Grayson Rodriguez
Things haven't gone well at all this season for Jack Flaherty, as he's still in search of his first win of the 2026 campaign. While not entirely his fault, as of late, Flaherty hasn't kept his team in the game, primarily with all the free passes allowed.
Flaherty went 3.1 innings against the Baltimore Orioles in his last time out, allowing two home runs and six total runs (three of which were earned) to come across to score. If the Tigers are going to go on a run to get back in the standings, they need Flaherty to treat every one of his starts like it could be his last.
On the opposing side, the Tigers will hit against Grayson Rodriguez, who's still getting his feet wet this season. Set to make his third start of the season, Rodriguez is the perfect pitcher for this Detroit offense to face, given that he holds a 10.61 ERA in 9.1 innings of work.
It would be discouraging to see the Tigers unable to hit Rodriguez, given how he's performed as of late, but the odds are in their favor to get the job done three times in a row this homestand.
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Dominic Minchella is a 2024 Eastern Michigan University graduate with a BA in Communications, Media, and Theatre Arts and a Journalism minor. He covers Major League Baseball for On SI and spends his free time watching games and sharing his insights.