Upcoming Tigers series is brutal on paper, but Reds luck out in one huge way

Coming off a weekend sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Cincinnati Reds are entering a harrowing stretch against AL Central teams. In fact, the Reds now face six straight opponents that are all playoff contenders. In order to survive this gauntlet, Cincinnati will need both skill and luck; thankfully, fortune will at least partially be on the Reds’ side when the team travels to Detroit.

It’s looking likely that the Reds will miss out on facing Tarik Skubal, perhaps the best pitcher on the face of the planet. Barring any last minute changes, weather delays, or other nonsense, the lefty is pencilled in to close out the series against Baltimore on June 12. The Reds come to town the next day.

The Reds need to make the most of their luck in missing Tarik Skubal’s turn in the rotation

Of course, the Reds still need to do battle against the hottest team in baseball. Keider Montero and Jack Flaherty, who will start the first two games of the set, have combined to give up five runs over their last 33 ⅓ innings. Of particular concern could be Flaherty’s elite strikeout rate (29.7%); the Reds aren’t exactly known for avoiding whiffs. Sawyer Gipson-Long, who will start the third game, is a bit of an unknown quantity with only one big-league start under his belt.

As hot as the Tigers’ pitchers have been, though, the bats have struggled. Since mid-May, Detroit has a -9.4 offensive fWAR, second-worst in the American League. The Reds, by comparison, have a 3.1 offensive fWAR over that same span, and they’re just getting hotter. The Reds will need those bats to stay hot through Cleveland and into Detroit. 

Facing the Tigers in Detroit poses its own challenge. The Tigers are an AL-best 23-9 at Comerica Park, and the Reds are 15-17 on the road. The Reds have gone 16-19 against teams currently above .500 and continue to cobble together elements of the roster due to injuries.

Missing Skubal – as well as the top of the Guardians’ rotation in the upcoming series – plays in Cincinnati’s favor, but the Reds will need to make the most of this opportunity. The next few weeks could be make or break for this team.

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