Detroit Tigers Vs. Houston Astros Series Preview

May 12, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers second baseman Omar Infante (4) hits a sacrifice fly to score shortstop Jhonny Peralta (not pictured) during the fourth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

A couple of weeks ago, the Detroit Tigers went into Houston and dismantled the Astros walking away with a four game series sweep.  Since then the Tigers have gone on to lose 4 of their last 5 including a series loss to the AL Central division rival Cleveland Indians.

The Houston Astros have won 2 of 6 but the two wins came in a series victory against their AL West division rivals the Anaheim Angels.
So what can we expect from the three game series between these two teams at Comerica Park?

A sweep of course!

If you are a Tiger fan you should be expecting another sweep.  The Detroit Tigers are infinitely more talented than the Houston Astros and need to pick up some ground after falling into a first place tie with the Tribe.

Players to watch for The Houston Astros

• Jose Altuve is clearly the Astros best player at second base and his speedy, slap hitting style is suited for Comerica Park. The Tigers need to contain the speedster in order to keep the Astros out of the run column.
• Carlos Pena is a former Tiger and although that was many years ago a player always like to show up his former team.  Pena has hit 39 career home runs at Comerica park and still has plenty of power despite being on the downside of his career.

Players to watch for The Detroit Tigers

• Omar Infante is on a tear lately hitting .421 in his last seven games.  He is wearing teams out from the ninth spot in the line-up and helps set the table for the top of the order.
• Jose Valverde is fresh off a blown save against the Indians.  This is Valverde’s first real test of the season to see if he can have a short memory or let recent failures get inside his head.

Probable Pitchers for the Series

Monday May 13th 7:08 pm

Bud Norris, RHP  Stats 4-3, 3.40 ERA  vs Anibal Sanchez, RHP  Stats 3-3, 1.97 ERA

Tuesday May 14th 7:08 pm

Lucas Harrell, RHP 3-3, 4.67 ERA vs Doug Fister, RHP 4-1, 3.14 ERA

Wednesday May 15th 1:08 pm

Dallas Keuchel, LHP 0-1, 4.43 ERA vs Max Scherzer, RHP 5-0, 3.61 ERA

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