Jack Leiter Set for Tigers Rematch in Sunday Night Start

jack leiter is scheduled to start for the Texas Rangers against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday night in the series rubber match at Comerica Park. First pitch is set for 7:20 p.m. ET, with Texas trying to respond after Detroit evened the weekend home series with a 5-1 win on Saturday night.

Jack Leiter Returns to Detroit

Leiter will face the Tigers again at the same park where he made his major league debut on April 4, 2024. That night ended with seven runs, eight hits and three walks allowed in 3 2/3 frames, and the Rangers lost 9-7.

This start gives Texas another look at a right-hander who has already shown he can work deep enough to stabilize a game. He has given the Rangers at least five innings in five of his six starts this season, and he opened the year by allowing just three runs in 11 innings.

Leiter’s Recent Run

The last stretch has been rougher. Over his last 20 1/3 frames, Leiter has posted a 6.64 ERA and a 6.53 FIP, a sharp change from the cleaner opening to his season. He enters with a 1-2 record and a 5.17 ERA.

That mix of early control and recent damage sets up the most interesting part of the matchup: whether Leiter can turn five efficient innings into a better line against a Detroit lineup that already took Saturday’s game. The Rangers need that version of him, especially with the series on the line and the game carrying national broadcast exposure.

Holton Opens for Detroit

Detroit is scheduled to use Tyler Holton in an opener role. The Tigers are covering for Casey Mize, who is on the injured list with a groin injury, and that keeps the pitching plan different from a normal one-game start.

Leiter’s first meeting with Detroit came in a loss, and this one arrives after both teams have already split the first two games of the weekend. If he can get Texas into the middle innings again, the Rangers can at least force Detroit to lean on its bullpen after Holton starts the night.