Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
The Detroit Tigers have some important games coming up which could provide a lot of clarity on where they stand in terms of overall rankings.
Nine of the Tigers’ next 18 games are against the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins. Seven of those games are at home. While it is still relatively early in the season, the Tigers have a good chance to put distance between themselves and the teams chasing them in the standings while they are hot.
The Indians have been streaky this year. They lost 10 of 13 games early on, but have won seven of their last eight. The Tigers have split the first six games they’ve played against the Twins at 3-3.
The Tigers also play a two-game series against the Washington Nationals and a four-game set against the Texas Rangers in Arlington. Both teams are expected to make noise in the postseason this year, which makes them key games to finding out how good they really are.
The Tigers will face Jordan Zimmerman Wednesday, who has been the Nationals best starter so far this year. His 1.64 ERA is good for third place among NL qualifiers. The Nationals have struggled to score runs this season, but exceptional defense and pitching have kept them afloat. They rank 27th in runs scored. The Tigers will send Anibal Sanchez to the mound in the series-opener.
The Tigers have won nine of their last ten games. But let’s face it, winning all four games against the Houston Astros doesn’t necessarily provide the clarity the Tigers are looking for.
David Fouty is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davefouty, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
