Detroit Tigers: Game 91 Preview

• Date: July 21, 2009
• Time: 7:05pm
• Teams: Seattle Mariners at Detroit Tigers
• Park: Comerica Park
• Weather: 73 degrees, 40% chance of rain
• Starting Pitchers: Garrett Olson (3-3, 4.53) vs Rick Porcello (8-6, 4.14)
• Records: Seattle (49-43) vs Detroit (48-42)
• Last 10 Games: Seattle (6-4) vs Detroit (4-6)
• My Two Cents: I spent an entire post yesterday stating the importance of this home stand that starts tonight against the Mariners, so I won’t dwell on that any longer.  Rick Porcello will make the start for the Tigers tonight, his first since a July 5 loss to the Twins.  Porcello is being held back a bit to keep those innings down.  In the event the Tigers do somehow make the playoffs, Porcello will likely need another bit of rest before the regular season winds to a close.  Over his last four starts, Porcello has an ERA of 5.68 and has allowed the opposition to hit a robust .378.  Clearly, both of those figures need to fall for him to give the Tigers many chances at winning.  He got his first career win back in April against the Mariners when he needed only 86 pitches to get through seve innings, allowing only one run.
• Starting for the Mariners will be lefty, Garrett Olson.  Olson has split time between the rotation on the bullpen this season.  He hasn’t faced the Tigers as a member of the Mariners, but made two starts against Detroit while playing for the Orioles.  In those two starts he lasted less than eight innings and had an ERA of 11.74.  Brandon Inge has a HR in three ABs against Olson, while Curtis Granderson and Marcus Thames have each fanned twice in limited appearances.
• In other news, the White Sox will be playing at home against Tampa Bay tonight.  If the Sox win tonight and the Tigers lose, the Tigers will be sharing first place atop the AL Central.  Ugh.