On the verge of a 15-game stretch against National League opponents, the Detroit Tigers will kick off a three-game set in Cincinnati on Friday night with right-hander Rick Porcello on the hill.
In addition to toeing the rubber for 12th time this season for the Tigers, Porcello will be forced to take a few cuts from the plate to help his own cause. The 23-year-old hurler has only made 12 plate appearances as a batter in his MLB career, but sports a .250 average with a pair of RBI.
Back in the No. 2 hole for the second consecutive game, Detroit slugger Brennan Boesch will try to build on his 2-for-4 performance in Thursday's win over Cleveland. Boesch is hitting just .227 on the year after posting an impressive.306/12/44 line before the All-Star break last season.
Here are the starting lineups for Friday's tilt:
Tigers
1. Quintin Berry - CF
2. Brennan Boesch - RF
3. Miguel Cabrera - 3B
4. Prince Fielder - 1B
5. Delmon Young - DH
6. Jhonny Peralta - SS
7. Gerald Laird - C
8. Ramon Santiago - 2B
9. Rick Porcello - SP
1. Zack Cozart - SS
2. Chris Heisey - CF
3. Joey Votto - 1B
4. Brandon Phillips - 2B
5. Jay Bruce - RF
6. Ryan Ludwick - LF
7. Miguel Cairo - 3B
8. Ryan Hanigan - C
9. Mat Latos - SP
For more on the Tigers, head over to Bless You Boys. For more MLB coverage, be sure to check out Baseball Nation.