The last two weeks have been difficult for the Detroit Tigers. Losers in six of their last eight, the team finds themselves sitting six games out of first place in the American League's Central Division with that gap increasing following a 4-2 loss to their division rivals, the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night. With two games remaining in the three-game, mid-week set against the Tribe, the Tigers will look to make up that ground on Wednesday night.
Considering that the Tigers have been outscored by their opponents 43-29 over the past eight games, it is crucial that the team finds away to step up their defense and limit the amount of runs that the Indians score. The majority of that responsibility will be placed upon the shoulders of Max Scherzer who is the projected starter for Wednesday.
Scherzer is 5-3 in 60 innings pitched over 11 games started this season. He has a 5.55 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 78-21. Despite his somewhat inflated ERA, Scherzer has won his last three consecutive starts in addition to recording four wins in his last five outings (with one no decision). His opponent will be Jeanmar Gomez who is 3-4 this season with a 4.42 ERA. Gomez has been tagged with a loss in his last two outings.
For more on the Detroit Tigers, head over to Bless You Boys. More news and analysis on Major League Baseball in general can be found over at Baseball Nation.