Tigers Sending Framber Valdez to the Mound, Here’s the Lineup for Saturday

It was a blowout. The Detroit Tigers came hungry for a win, and that’s exactly what they got. Friday evening, fans in Comerica Park had a lot to cheer about with an 8-0 win.

The Tigers now have a chance to close out the series with a sweep, and they are going to send their offseason acquisition, Framber Valdez to the mound. He enters the game with a 4-5 record and a 3.91 ERA.

Friday Night’s Statement Win

Detroit Tigers pitcher Keider Montero | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Detroit made it look easy, really easy. The Tigers only gave up five hits to the Astros on the Friday night brawl. Keider Montero was a master of the mound, taking the ball late into the game. He threw seven shutout innings.

On the offensive side, Detroit broke it open early with three runs in the third and five more in the fourth.

Kerry Carpenter hit his 11th home run of the season, while Colt Keith added his fifth and James Outman drove in three.

For as good as Spencer Arrighetti has been this year, he would take the loss for the Astros. He was pulled after just three innings when he had already surrendered eight earned runs on five hits which included three home runs.

The Astros left six stranded. For a club sitting 40-44 and having been on a winning streak, the loss hurt.

Valdez Anchors Detroit’s Rotation

Houston, Texas, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Framber Valdez | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Looking to ride this momentum, the Tigers are sending Valdez to the mound. He has been a reliable presence, maybe not dominant like Detroit had hoped, but he is producing. He holds a 3.91 ERA through 14 starts with 75 strikeouts over 76.2 innings.

Houston will send Kai-Wei Teng out to try to get things turned around. He is 4-6 on the season with a 4.03 ERA and 62 strikeouts. It could be a battle of pitching Saturday afternoon.

Overall, the matchup favors Detroit, but Houston likely won’t take Friday’s loss lightly and will come out trying to regain their pride.

Lineup Build Around Young Talent

Detroit Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Manager A.J. Hinch is sending out a familiar group on Saturday. Kevin McGonigle leads off and mans third base. Colt Keith will hit second at DH, and Riley Greene rounds out the top three.

James Outman fills the number eight batting spot. He’s been a quiet contributor so far, and with three RBI on Friday, he will be one to watch Saturday again.

3B Kevin McGonigle (L)
DH Colt Keith (L)
LF Riley Greene (L)
1B Spencer Torkelson
RF Kerry Carpenter (L)
SS Zach McKinstry (L)
2B Hao Yu Lee
CF James Outman (L)
C Jake Rogers

The Tigers are now 35-47, sitting fourth in the American League Central. They are eight games back to the Chicago White Sox and five games back in the Wild Card race.

They have a lot of ground to cover, but if they can continue to dominate like they did on Friday, they still have a chance.

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