The Detroit Tigers host the struggling Toronto Blue Jays at 1:05 p.m. ET/12:05 p.m. CT. Check out the live stream of this matchup of two teams expected to be in contention come October. Let's look at the lineups, pitching matchup and see what these teams bring to the table.
The Blue Jays are off to a tough start so far in 2013. The acquisition of R.A. Dickey is looking more sour by the day as the knuckleballer is struggling. However, on the mound today is Brandon Morrow, who pitched a gem in his first start despite the lack of run support. He went six innings allowing just one run while striking out eight Cleveland Indians. His opposition, Anibal Sanchez, also had a great outing going five strong inninngs against the Minnesota Twins in his first start of the season.
Sanchez better watch out because there are some guys who know him pretty well in the Blue Jays lineup, beggining with Edwin Encarnation who's hitting .429 with a home run in seven at bats. Before he faces Encarnacion, he'll see Melky Cabrera, who in 13 at bats is hitting .538. Maicer Izturis has had his share of success as well going 2-3 against the right-hander. Sanchez ins 1-2 in his career against the Jays with a 6.75 ERA.
As for the Tigers and Morrow, he's done a pretty decent job against this lineup. Morrow is 1-1 with a 3.72 ERA and 27 strikeouts. Torii Hunter is the guy who's seen him the most and is batting .250 in 12 at-bats. It didn't take long for Miguel Cabrera to introduce himself to Morrow. In five career at-bats, Cabrera's only hit is a home run. Victor Martinez is 2-4 with four RBI against Morrow for the most production in the Tigers' lineup.
So far, the Tigers are 3-3 in the season and they had a chance to sweep the New York Yankees with Justin Verlander on the mound, but that didn't work according to plan. The Tigers still pose one of the scariest, if not the scariest, lineup in baseball. Getting back Martinez can only make them better in 2013. Cabrera and Prince Fielder were stifled in the 2012 World Series, but they still present the toughest 1-2 combination in baseball.
The Blue Jays started their season off 2-4 and are sitting in a familiar place (last) in the A.L. East standings. It will be interesting to see if they can pick up the slack.
Click here to watch the live stream with MLB.TV. You have to subscribe, but this might be worth it if you're outside your team's market.
