Series Preview: Detroit Tigers, Round 2

18/04/2024 22:41

An early season rematch!

That's right folks, we have our first rematch of the young season. That means we have a brand new, shiny sidebar with updated 2024 stats and different categories we'll go through in this article. Since the Twins just played them a week ago, their outlook has changed very little, so be sure to check out the Round 1 preview as well.

Quick note: all stats are accurate through the games on April 17th.

What's changed since we last met?

As I said from the top, not much! It's been a grand total of four days since the Twins last saw Detroit, over which they've played four games against the Rangers, going 1-3.

One thing that has become more clear from the series against the Twins and Rangers is their bullpen hierarchy. Jason Foley has firmly entrenched himself as the closer there as Alex Lange has floundered in his limited opportunities. The lefty Andrew Chafin could see some save opportunities depending on matchups, but expect Foley to be the guy in the 9th. His power sinker/slider combo make him a potent weapon, with his 34.1% called strike + whiff rate (CSW) a significant improvement on last years 26.3% mark. His increased ability to miss bats has made him one of the better relievers in the AL.

Old friend Kenta Maeda made his fourth start for Detroit against the Rangers this afternoon and it went quite poorly. He's now given up 17 runs in 17.2 innings on the season, which is not ideal for the Tigers' big free agent acquisition. We've already seen how Kenta can turn things around in season after a rough April last year, but this was the exact reason the Twins were hesitant to give Maeda a two-year contract. His velocity is down on every one of his pitches and his strikeout, whiff, and chase rates are the lowest of his career by a large margin. There's plenty of time to turn around, but it's hard to believe the 36-year-old is going to suddenly have more velocity or spin as he adds even more miles to his arm.

Has Javier Baez taken a walk yet?

He has! Look at this!

This is Baez's first walk since September 18 of last year, a remarkable run of 76 straight plate appearances without taking a walk for a batter who can barely make contact with the ball and chases everything in sight. This beautiful sign of clear success brings his batting line up to a robust .151/.175/.208 on the season.

TLDR

We just played them last weekend so I am lacking on deep insights, sorry. Let's make a prediction instead: Twins sweep, Buxton hits 3 home runs to spark the offense and we all get to experience joy again.