The Detroit Tigers beat the New York Yankees 9-3 on Tuesday night and moved one win from a road sweep. That left them with a chance to build on a stretch that had produced 35 runs over five games.
Troy Melton at Yankee Stadium
Troy Melton was set to start Wednesday afternoon at 1:35 p.m. ET in Game 87 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. He had strung together two straight quality starts, and over his last 12 innings he posted a 1.50 ERA and a 4.43 FIP.
In that span, he allowed two earned runs. Both came on solo home runs. He also struck out 11 batters and walked three, a run that gave the Tigers a steadier front end for a game that could finish their first series win since sweeping the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park.
Will Warren and June
Will Warren was the scheduled starter for the New York Yankees, and his June line gave the Tigers a clear comparison point. In four games that month, he logged a 5.49 ERA and a 4.68 FIP over 19 2/3 innings, allowing two home runs while striking out 14 and walking 10.
He had also been solid in his third major league campaign overall, with a 7-3 record and a 3.75 ERA, but June was the wobble. Last week, he missed the Tigers in Detroit when the teams played, just as Melton missed the Yankees in Detroit, and that made Wednesday a first look at a matchup shaped more by recent form than by the earlier series.
Detroit Tigers offense
The 9-3 win on Tuesday gave the Tigers a fresh cushion before the rematch. They had already clinched their first series win since the Chicago White Sox sweep, and another victory would extend the offense’s 35-run burst across five games into a road sweep in New York.
AJ Hinch took that into Wednesday with a starter who had handled his last 12 innings efficiently and a lineup that had kept scoring in bunches. Can the Tigers finish the sweep against Will Warren at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York?
