Troy Melton has been a quiet success story for a Detroit club that desperately needed one. The right-hander enters Wednesday's 1:35 PM ET matinee at Yankee Stadium with a 4-1 record and a 2.39 ERA, one of the more pleasant surprises in the AL this summer. The July 1 finale is the rubber game of a 3-game homestand for New York, and Melton gives the Tigers a real chance to steal one — if they can score. On the New York side, Aaron Judge (rib stress fracture) and Giancarlo Stanton (calf re-injury) have been parked on the injured list since early June, stripping the lineup of its most dangerous bats. What's kept the Yankees afloat is Ben Rice, who's putting together a genuine MVP case at first base — a 1.031 OPS that trails only Yordan Alvarez among all big league hitters. The Yankees just got swept in 3 games by Boston at Fenway, scoring 5 runs total across that series, and they're coming home looking to right the ship. Detroit's injury report isn't a list — it's a ward. Verlander, Jobe, Sweeney (season-ending shoulder surgery), Perez (orbital fracture), Meadows (forearm), Baez, Hurter, Horn, Olson — and that's before you get to Gleyber Torres on the 10-day IL with an oblique. Jack Flaherty was hoping to return around June 28 off the 15-day IL, but even a healthy Flaherty doesn't change what's happening offensively in Detroit. Their lone statement game in the last 5 was an 8-0 blowout of Houston on June 26 — a result that looks more like an outlier than a turning point. The head-to-head context matters here. New York already took 2 straight from this same Tigers team on June 23 and June 24, winning 4-3 and 4-2. Detroit couldn't generate offense then and the roster hasn't gotten healthier since. Tarik Skubal returned from elbow surgery in mid-June but has been working back carefully. The Tigers need Melton to give them 6 strong and they need to scratch together enough runs to make it a game — neither of which is a given. New York is also expecting Trent Grisham (hamstring) to return from the IL sometime during this homestand, which would add another body to a depleted outfield. The Yankees won't be at full strength on Wednesday, but relative to Detroit, they're running out a substantially more intact ball club. A midweek afternoon getaway game at 1:35 PM ET against a sub-.500 road team is exactly the kind of spot a first-place contender is supposed to take care of business.