Brian Matusz (0-0, -.--) vs.
Jarrod Washburn (8-6, 2.64), 7:05 p.m. EST
Welcome to Detroit, Jarrod Washburn. And welcome to a playoff race. The Tigers' shiny new acquisition makes his debut in the Old English D this evening. We should find out pretty quickly how good he can be against a strong Orioles lineup. (Baltimore is a bit less fearsome against lefties, however, batting .260/.319/.384.)
Washburn has faced the Orioles twice this season (both times in Seattle), giving up just one run in 16 innings. One of those games was a complete game one-hitter. He won that one. The other start was a 1-0 loss. Hopefully, Washburn gets a little better run support tonight.
As excited as we are to watch Washburn make his Tigers debut tonight, Orioles fans are equally, if not more, excited to see Brian Matusz pitch his first major league game. The left-hander was 11-2 with a 1.91 ERA in 19 starts, including a 7-0 mark with Double-A Bowie. Overall, he's posted 121 strikeouts and 32 walks in 113 innings.
The Tigers' record against Orioles rookie pitchers isn't so flashy, by the way. Back in May at Baltimore, the two games Detroit lost were to Brad Bergesen and David Hernandez. Of course, they also beat Jason Berken, so I guess that makes them 1-2 against O's first-timers.
I forgot to mention last night that Camden Chat has your SB Nation opposing view for this series. Sorry about that.
UPDATE: If you didn't catch the news earlier, the Tigers called outfielder Wilkin Ramirez up from Toledo this afternoon. He's in left field and batting leadoff this evening.