Game #128 Preview: Tigers @ Blue Jays

The good old Tigers visit Toronto this weekend for a three-game set with our Blue Jays. The Tigers sold at the deadline (if you didn't notice David Price on our team) and started to fade and then crash and burn. Now they sit at 60-67 which is good enough for last place in the AL Central and they're going to miss the playoffs for the first time in what seems like forever. It's a bit of a shame really...the team has good fans and a nice ballpark and isn't too easy to dislike unless you have memories of the rivalry with the Blue Jays many years ago. The pitching matchup this evening features R.A. Dickey against Matt Boyd, whose name seems very familiar.

The lefty Boyd was of course traded with Daniel Norris and Jairo Labourt for fellow southpaw David Price at the deadline. Prior to being traded, Boyd was the #15 prospect according to Bluebird Banter and was projected to perhaps end up as a reliever although he's now clearly on the path to being a starter with his new squad. The 2013 draftee made two starts in Toronto this year and they weren't particularly good. The second appearance was the game where he allowed seven runs without recording an out, although most considered it more of a small setback than a sign of upcoming failure. We'll have to find the answer out from afar now of course, with Boyd making five appearances with the Tigers since the trade. He's certainly been better than his time with the Blue Jays, throwing 24.0 innings allowing 13 earned runs while striking out 15 although it was only one bad start in Houston that really hurt his numbers.

If you have a short-term memory then a little refresher on Boyd is that he throws a fastball in the low-90's along with a changeup, and breaking ball. His off-speed stuff is where he excels but his fastball has been hit so hard in some appearances that it's been tough to get hitters very off-balance.

Here's a look at his breaking ball that has worked well for him this year courtesy of a good piece from Bless You Boys:

Hopeful Lineup

1. Troy Tulowitzki SS
2. Josh Donaldson 3B
3. Jose Bautista RF
4. Edwin Encarnacion DH
5. Chris Colabello 1B
6. Russell Martin C
7. Ben Revere LF
8. Kevin Pillar CF
9. Cliff Pennington 2B

Bullpen Usage

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