Detroit at Baltimore on a Friday in May was not what either fanbase circled in March. The Tigers are buried in the AL Central, the Orioles are stuck under .500, and both clubs are taking the mound with starters who have been actively bad. This is a battle of who blinks first.
Jack Flaherty is 0-5 with a 5.77 ERA and the underlying numbers are worse than the surface ones. He's walked 20 batters in 23.1 innings, which is not a typo, and his own quote after the Texas start was basically "I lost the zone for three or four hitters out of nowhere." Chris Bassitt is not exactly bailing his side out either — last time out against the Nationals he coughed up 4 runs in 5 innings of a 13-3 loss, and he's sitting on a 5.44 ERA. Pick your poison.
- Day-To-DayDugan Darnell RP — The Tigers announced Sunday that Darnell (hip) has been playing catch five times a week and is also taking part in a running progression, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
- Day-To-DayJosue Briceno C — Briceno said Friday that he expects to be sidelined a few months after having surgery Wednesday to repair a tendon in his right wrist, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
- 10-Day-ILGleyber Torres 2B — Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Wednesday that Torres (oblique) is still unable to swing a bat at full effort, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILJavier Baez SS — Baez (ankle) has been conducting his rehab at the Tigers' spring training facility in Florida and is taking part in full baseball activities, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
- 10-Day-ILKerry Carpenter RF — Carpenter (shoulder) has been doing light running and throwing since landing on the 10-day injured list and expects to resume swinging a bat this week, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
- 15-Day-ILTarik Skubal SP — Skubal (elbow) threw a successful 35-pitch bullpen session Thursday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILTy Madden SP — Madden (forearm) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Wednesday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
- 60-Day-ILJustin Verlander SP — Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Thursday that Verlander (hip) is "inching forward more than sprinting forward" with his rehab, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayLevi Wells P — Triple-A Norfolk placed Wells on its 7-day injured list Wednesday due to right hip discomfort, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
- Day-To-DayRichard Guasch SP — no
- Day-To-DayWill Robertson LF — The Orioles reassigned Robertson to minor-league camp Wednesday, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.
- Day-To-DayLuis Vazquez SS — Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said Monday that Vazquez has been diagnosed with a broken right thumb, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILDylan Beavers RF — Beavers (oblique) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Yankees.
- 15-Day-ILCade Povich SP — Povich (elbow) met with Dr. Keith Meister on Tuesday and is without an official timetable for his return after receiving a cortisone injection, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.
- 15-Day-ILRyan Helsley RP — Helsley (elbow) played catch Friday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILGrant Wolfram RP — The Orioles placed Wolfram on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a lower-back strain, retroactive to Saturday.
The injury list is doing most of the talking for Detroit. Tarik Skubal is still on the 15-day IL but threw a 35-pitch bullpen Thursday, which is the only thing resembling good news. Justin Verlander, Jackson Jobe, Kerry Carpenter, Gleyber Torres, Javy Baez, Parker Meadows — that is half a real lineup and rotation on the shelf. Baltimore is no healthier with Jordan Westburg done after Tommy John, Ryan Mountcastle out until late June or July, and Felix Bautista still working back from shoulder surgery.
The market has Baltimore as a -125 home favorite with the total at 8.5. With two starters who can't find the plate and two bullpens that have logged a lot of innings already, the over has some logic to it — though Camden's dimensions can flatter a flyball pitcher just as quickly as they punish one. When Flaherty starts this year, the Tigers are 2-8 against the spread, which is the kind of trend you note and then quietly back away from.
If you're a Tigers fan, the only thing to root for here is that the bleeding stops before Skubal comes back and the schedule lightens. If you're an Orioles fan, this is the kind of opponent you have to beat to convince anyone — including yourselves — that 21-29 isn't the ceiling. Whoever loses tonight is going to feel a lot worse on Saturday than the other guys.