Two of the most disappointing teams in baseball will meet in Detroit this weekend as the Toronto Blue Jays visit the Tigers at Comerica Park.
Both teams made playoff runs a season ago, with the Blue Jays getting to the World Series and the Tigers getting to the American League Division Series, but injury has ravaged both rosters so far.
The Blue Jays are 19-24 on the campaign while the Tigers are 19-25 and in last place in the American League Central.
The pitching matchups reflect the injuries to both teams, as the Jays are out Jose Berrios and Shane Bieber. The Tigers are without Tarik Skubal, the most dominant pitcher in the American League.
Here are the matchups on the mound.
Trey Yesavage (1-1, 0.68 ERA) @ Brenan Hanifee (0-0, 1.08 ERA)
Yesavage, a former first-round pick, is making his fourth start since coming off his own trip to the injured list.
He's gone just four innings in each of the last two starts as the team will remain careful with his workload, but he's had six strikeouts in both outings.
Hanifee has made 84 career big league appearances, pitching to a 2.63 ERA, but he has just four starts. He pitched three innings on May 5 against Boston but can't be counted on for much length.
He will serve as an opener for Ty Madden, but it's unknown if he'll throw only one inning. Madden has 12 strikeouts in 11.0 innings this season.
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Trey Yesavage (39) throws to the Minnesota Twins in the second inning at Target Field. Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn ImagesTBD @ TBD
This one is up in the air on a few different fronts, but it looks like Spencer Miles, a Rule-5 draft pick this winter, could get the ball for Toronto. Casey Mize, the former No. 1 pick in the draft, could pitch for Detroit. He's eligible to come off the injured list on Friday.
Kevin Gausman (2-3, 3.86 ERA) @ Jack Flaherty (0-4, 5.73 ERA)
Still one of the best strikeout artists in the sport, Gausman has fanned 48 batters in 51.1 innings. He's coming off a rough outing against the Tampa Bay Rays, but he he delivered a quality start before that, giving up just two earned runs in six innings against the same lineup on May 5.
Flaherty hasn't gotten past the fifth inning in any of his last three starts, and two of those starts saw him removed after 3.2 innings. He did strike out 10 against Boston on May 6.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Remember to join our BLUE JAYS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Blue Jays fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!
