In his first start in front of home fans at Comerica Park, recently acquired pitcher Anibal Sanchez will take the mound for the Detroit Tigers on Friday to open up a crucial three-game set with the Indians.
Sanchez was bombed for five earned runs on eight hits in his debut in a Tigers uniform back on July 28, but will hope to get the better of a Cleveland lineup that has struggled to produce much offensively as of late. In addition to a brutal six game losing streak, the Indians are just 3-11 on the road since the All-Star break with their complete lack of offensive production as the obvious culprit.
Tigers hitters will hope to have more success against Cleveland pitcher Justin Masterson this time around, after the 6-foot-6 righty held Detroit to a mere run over seven innings for a well-deserved victory back in May. Here are Friday's starting lineups:
Tigers
1. Austin Jackson - CF
2. Quintin Berry - LF
3. Miguel Cabrera - 3B
4. Prince Fielder - 1B
5. Brennan Boesch - DH
6. Andy Dirks - RF
7. Alex Avila - C
8. Ramon Santiago - SS
9. Omar Infante - 2B
Anibal Sanchez - SP
Indians
1. Jason Kipnis - 2B
2. Asdrubal Cabrera - SS
3. Shin-Soo Choo - RF
4. Carlos Santana - C
5. Michael Brantley - CF
6. Jose Lopez - DH
7. Casey Kotchman - 1B
8. Jack Hannahan - 3B
9. Ezequiel Carrera - LF
Justin Masterson - SP
Head over to Bless You Boys for more Tigers coverage, and be sure to visit Let's Go Tribe for more news on the Indians. Also be sure to check out Baseball Nation for more MLB news and analysis.