Dallas Braden (3-4, 2.79) vs.
Rick Porcello (3-3, 4.28), 7:05 p.m. EST
After hanging two touchdowns worth of runs on the Oakland A's last night, did the Tigers use up most of their ammunition for the weekend? Or is there plenty more where that came from?
Last Sunday, Rick Porcello pitched one of his more impressive performances of the season. Not necessarily because he gave up only one run over five innings (with five hits and five strikeouts). But on a day where he didn't have his best stuff and racked up a high pitch count as he struggled with the strike zone, he hung in there to give his team those five innings. Porcello has allowed just one run in his last 12 innings, winning his last two starts.
Dallas Braden, on the other hand, has lost his last two starts, despite giving up three earned runs over six innings in both of those games. Unfortunately for him, the A's just aren't providing much run support. (They've actually been shut out in three of his appearances.) Braden is also nursing a sore pitching hand after a line drive smacked it in his previous start. He's pitching tonight, as opposed to last night, so he had an extra day to heal up. In four starts against the Tigers, Braden has a 1-1 record and 8.68 ERA.
Elsewhere in the organization, Jeremy Bonderman has a rehab start in West Michigan tonight. So if you're keeping track of his performance, please share some updates with us here in the GameThread.