Tigers vs Pirates; July 21-23

The Den
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One SP for Detroit is tbd, could we see Holton? Not sure when he pitched last.

Tigers at Pirates

Series: Three games at PNC Park.

First pitch: Monday-Tuesday – 6:40 p.m.; Wednesday – 12:35 p.m.

TV/Radio: Monday-Wednesday – FanDuel Sports/97.1.

Probables: Monday – RHP Jack Flaherty (5-9, 4.65) vs. RHP Paul Skenes (4-8, 2.01); Tuesday – RHP Casey Mize (9-3, 3.15) vs. RHP Mitch Keller (3-10, 3.48); Wednesday – TBA vs. LHP Bailey Falter (6-5, 4.00.

Flaherty, Tigers: He’s finished the first half on a good run, punching out 31 over his final four starts with most of the damage coming off four solo home runs. The homers have been a thorn for him. His home-run percentage (4.5) is a career high. He will be on seven days of rest, which typically bodes well for him. He’s made five starts with at least one day extra rest and he’s limited hitters to a .211 average with 34 strikeouts in 24.1 innings. He’s also enjoyed pitching at PNC Park over his career (5-1, 2.23 ERA in nine starts).

Skenes, Pirates: The Tigers made him work at Comerica Park back in June, working five walks and scratching a pair of runs off him in six innings. He also punched out nine and allowed only three hits. He’s no joke. His 4.9 WAR leads National League pitchers, as does his 2.01 ERA. He’s yielded only six homers in 121 innings. He’s not only coming with high-velocity heaters and sinkers (98 mph), but also splitters, sweepers, changeups, sliders and curveballs. Only the splitter and curve have minus run values.

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From the news

Parker Meadows is caught in a Catch-22 that no baseball player wants to deal with.

He needs to play more to catch his rhythm after missing the first two months of the season. But he needs to play better to earn the right to play more.

“Just trying to find a groove,” said Meadows, who was not in the starting lineup Sunday night against Rangers’ lefty Jacob Latz. “Obviously the team is going through a skid right now but the boys are grinding. It’s just part of the game and it’s temporary.

“I’m still looking forward to every day and I’m still keeping that confidence up. As you know, this game is crazy up and down.”

Meadows, the Tigers’ everyday center fielder down the stretch and through the postseason last year, is hitting .189/.256/.279 in 33 games. Eerily similar to his first 35 games last year when he hit .096/.224/.219 before getting sent to Triple-A Toledo for a reset that helped turn his season around.

Another Toledo stint hasn’t been discussed to this point but Meadows is mostly being used in a platoon with Matt Vierling in center.

“You just try to win the game,” manager AJ Hinch said when asked about Meadows’ reduced playing time. “Anytime you’re giving somebody playing time, you take it away from somebody else. Matt Vierling would sit if Parker played, and against a lefty, that doesn’t make a lot of sense.

“There’s some give and take, but we’re trying to win as many games as we can.”

Hinch quickly added he fully expects Meadows to heat up.

“Just trying to be an encourager,” Hinch said. “We certainly believe in him.”

Meadows said he could feel himself getting more on time at the plate in recent weeks, but he’s still having trouble making consistent contact. He’s punched out in 16 of his last 37 plate appearances.

“It looks like his timing hasn’t stayed consistent so his barrel contact has not been consistent,” Hinch said. “He’s trying to find it. As with all these guys, you try to encourage them that the better they play, the more they play. He can offer a lot on any given day.”

The Tigers will face a pair of right-handed starters in Pittsburgh, albeit high-end right-handers, in Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller. Hinch said he expects Meadows will start both of those games.

“We’re hoping he can untap the consistency he had for so much of last season,” Hinch said. “But it’s been a grind for him.”

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Could be Keller’s laat start as a Pirate.

Falter has been lately…faltering.

Skenes, yeah heard he is good.

Flaherty just needs to keep the ball in the park.

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I’d be stunned if we won tonight honestly, but I expect us to win the next two games.

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They called up Troy Melton to start tomorrow against the Pirates!

I believe he is their #10 prospect

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I dolled up Todd Jones for @Bols

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Trade bait? If he bombs there goes his value.

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Did anybody see that coming??

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Not me

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Dumb And Dumber Lol GIF

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fu middle finger GIF

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No, Tigers need more starters Holton is the best one they have at the moment.

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Yes, mentioned it in one of the threads recently.

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Still waiting to see if he starts tomorrow or Wednesday, last I heard that was the tbd day.

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Melton, now 24, was the Tigers’ fourth-round pick in 2022. Since then, he has climbed the minor league ladder, putting up strong numbers along the way. Overall, he has thrown 273 minor league innings over 66 games. 63 of those were officially starts, with the other three technically being long relief outings. In that time, he has allowed 3.63 earned runs per nine with a 28.1% strikeout rate and 6.5% walk rate.

That includes his 75 1/3 innings this year, split between Double-A and Triple-A. He has a combined 2.99 ERA on the season. His 6.4% walk rate is still good and he has nudged his strikeout rate up to 32.4%.

Coming into 2025, many evaluators put Melton in the middle of the Tigers’ top 30 lists but Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs was especially bullish. He gave Melton the #80 spot on his preseason top 100 list. Longenhagen notes that Melton sits in the upper 90s with his fastball with a slider and “splinker-style” changeup.

It’s unclear if Melton will be getting a rotation gig for a while or if this is just a spot start. The Tigers are three games into a stretch of playing 13 straight right after their pitchers where thrown off their normal routines by the All-Star break, so perhaps this is just to give everyone else a breather. Since this is his first major league call, he has a full slate of options and could be sent back down to the minors after his debut.

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Melton has good stuff. Pipeline actually touts him as the next Skubal in The Tigers system.

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Fukin Sweeney.

Motha fucka

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meadows-vierling-sweeney-----Murderers row.

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Baez is hurt