Tonight at 7:05 p.m. ET, the Detroit Tigers (61-47) and New York Yankees (57-53) take the field at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx for the opening contest of a four-game set. The game can be live streamed for free here. Detroit fans can hear all of the action on 97.1 The Ticket while New York fans can do the same on WFAN 101.9.
Detroit embarks on a nine-game road trip after going 4-2 on a six-game homestand -- which included a three-game weekend sweep of the Colorado Rockies -- while New York returns home for seven games after going 3-3 on a six-game road swing that saw them take two out of three from the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park over the weekend.
The Tigers enter play in first place in the American League Central, holding a five-game lead over the Kansas City Royals, while the Yankees sit in third place in the AL East, five games behind the division-leading Baltimore Orioles and are 1.5 games out of the second wild-card spot.
Max Scherzer (13-3, 3.27 ERA) toes the rubber for Detroit while New York counters with Brandon McCarthy, who is 6-10 with a 3.75 this season and 3-0 with a 2.55 ERA since being dealt from the Arizona Diamondbacks to New York.
One storyline heading into this series -- aside from the fact that the Yankees will face the last three AL Cy Young Award winners in Scherzer, David Price and Justin Verlander -- is that Joba Chamberlain returns to the Bronx after signing with the Tigers in December.
"They gave me the opportunity to play baseball," said Chamberlain, who played his first seven seasons in New York, via MLB.com. "I'm so grateful for that, thankful for the opportunities."
The Yankees have had 50 different players suit up for them this season, seven of which made their MLB debuts, but the team is still in the race and doesn't see the turnover as a problem.
"It's probably more of a challenge for the guys that are coming over," captain and shortstop Derek Jeter, who is second on the team with a .277 batting average, told MLB.com. "It's not so much of a challenge for us. We try to make everyone feel as comfortable as possible."
New York's lineup has been paced by outfielder Brett Gardner, who is hitting a team-best .284 and ranks tied for fourth in the AL with six triples, and first baseman Mark Teixeira, who leads the team in homers (19) and RBI (51). Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury is second in the AL with 29 stolen bases.
Detroit counters with a lineup that is led by first baseman Miguel Cabrera, designated-hitter Victor Martinez and second baseman Ian Kinsler.
Cabrera leads the AL in doubles (36), is second in RBI (83), third in total bases (218, tied) and fifth in slugging percentage (.532). Martinez leads the Tigers with 23 homers and ranks fourth in the AL with a .567 slugging percentage and .949 OPS and fifth with a .321 batting average. Kinsler is hitting .291 with 11 homers and 58 RBI and ranks fifth in the AL with 30 doubles.
The Tigers and Yankees open up a four-game set when they take the field a Yankee Stadium tonight in the Bronx.
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