DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers are three games below .500, tied for 3rd place in the AL Central and still have 12 games left against the most dominant team in the league -- the Kansas City Royals. But as the trade deadline draws nearer and nearer, the Tigers are running out of time to sell. So David Price will take the mound in Tampa Bay Tuesday wearing the Old English D once again.
Price, who spent the first six and a half seasons of his career with the Rays, will toe the rubber in the familiar Tropicana Field against a lineup he dominated last August. Price allowed just one hit and one unearned run over eight innings in that start, but was outdueled by Alex Cobb and tagged with the loss.
Now, as the Tigers teeter on the fringes of the wildcard race, Price inherits the added pressure of needing to win almost every single start down the stretch.
The Rays will line up like this against Price:
Brandon Guyer, LF
Joey Butler, DH
Evan Longoria, 3B
Logan Forsythe, 1B
Steven Souza Jr., RF
Asdrubal Cabrera, SS
Curt Casali, C
Tim Beckham, 2B
Kevin Kiermaier, CF
First Pitch: 7:10 p.m. on FSD
The Tigers will get their second look at young right-hander Jake Odorizzi, who allowed three runs over 6 2/3 innings in a loss to the Tigers last season. Odorizzi is making his fourth start since returning from a DL stint that sidelined him for over a month.
In three July starts, Odorizzi is averaging five innings and 2 2/3 runs allowed. He'll face this starting nine from Detroit:
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Yoenis Cespedes, LF
Victor Martinez, DH
J.D. Martinez, RF
Nick Castellanos, 3B
James McCann, C
Alex Avila, 1B
Jose Iglesias, SS
Anthony Gose, CF
The Tigers and Rays will finish off their three-game series Wednesday afternoon as Justin Verlander squares off with ace Chris Archer.