The Tigers are 20-32 and have lost 5 in a row. Since Tarik Skubal hit the IL, the wheels have come off — Detroit has dropped 13 of its last 15 and the rotation, already gutted by injuries to Skubal, Jackson Jobe, Reese Olson and Ty Madden, is leaning hard on Framber Valdez to be the stopper. He signed a 3-year deal in the offseason to be exactly that guy. The job description has gotten a lot bigger than anyone expected.
Valdez's May has been a roller coaster. He coughed up 10 runs in 3-plus innings against Boston on May 5, drilled Trevor Story, and got hit with a suspension. He came back May 13 and looked like himself against the Mets — 7 strikeouts, into the 7th, Detroit blew the lead in extras anyway. That's been the season in a nutshell. He sits at 2-3 with a 4.58 ERA and the Tigers desperately need the version that showed up in Queens, not the one that imploded at Fenway.
Baltimore is no juggernaut either at 22-29, but the Orioles get Brandon Young at home and he's quietly been one of the only things going right in their rotation. He finally cracked 6 innings for the first time this year against Miami on May 6 and sits 3-1 with a 4.25 ERA. With Zach Eflin gone for the year after Tommy John, Dean Kremer on the IL with a quad, and Cade Povich also down, Young going deep matters more than the box score suggests.
- 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-ILBurch Smith RP — Smith has been diagnosed with right shoulder soreness and received a cortisone injection Friday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press 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.
- 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 report is the actual story of this series. The Orioles are running out a lineup without Ryan Mountcastle, Jordan Westburg (TJ surgery), Heston Kjerstad and Dylan Beavers. The Tigers counter with no Kerry Carpenter, no Gleyber Torres, no Javier Baez, no Parker Meadows. This is basically two depth charts playing each other and hoping their starter goes 6.
The market makes Baltimore a slim favorite at -112 with the total sitting at 8.5, and the EV is negative on every side — nothing here screams value. DK money is piling on the over (85% of handle), which tracks given both bullpens are taped together. If you're picking a lean, it's the home team with the healthier arm on the mound and a Tigers offense that looks broken right now.