DETROIT TIGERS (71-81) vs. MINNESOTA TWINS (78-74)
LHP Matt Boyd (1-5, 7.40) vs. RHP Mike Pelfrey (6-10, 4.16)
Friday, September 25, 2015 at 7:08 p.m.
Comerica Park, Detroit, MI
RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers earned a split of their four-game series against the White Sox with a 7-4 win on Wednesday afternoon at Comerica Park. Rajai Davis had three hits, including a triple, and scored three runs, while Victor Martinez hit the 200th home run of his major league career and drove in two runs. J.D. Martinez added two RBI and went 1×3 with a run scored and a double. Justin Verlander started for Detroit and picked up the win after allowing three runs on five hits with three walks and eight strikeouts in 7.0 innings. Neftali Feliz worked a scoreless ninth inning to record his eighth save. The Tigers open their final home series of the season tonight as they begin a three-game set against the Minnesota Twins. Following this weekend’s series, the Tigers close the 2015 season with a six-game road trip, which includes three games at Texas (September 28-30) and three games at the White Sox (October 2-4).
VMART HITS 200TH CAREER HOME RUN: Victor Martinez reached a career milestone on Wednesday, hitting the 200th home run of his major league career with a two-run shot off Frankie Montas in the first inning. Martinez became the sixth Venezuelan-born player to hit 200 career home runs, joining Miguel Cabrera, Andres Galarraga, Magglio Ordonez, Bobby Abreu and Tony Armas.
JV CONTINUES IMPRESSIVE STREAK: Justin Verlander notched his fourth win of the season on Wednesday vs. the White Sox, allowing three runs on five hits with three walks and eight strikeouts in 7.0 innings. Verlander has now recorded a quality start in 10 of his last 12 starts. Over the 12-start stretch, Verlander has posted a 2.27 ERA (87.1IP/22ER) with 63 hits allowed, 17 walks and 77 strikeouts. Dating back to July 24, Verlander’s 2.27 ERA leads all American League pitchers.
KINSLER PILING UP THE MULTI-HIT GAMES: Ian Kinsler went 2×4 with a run scored and a RBI in Wednesday’s game to record his major league leading 59th multi-hit game of the season. Kinsler’s 59 multi-hit games are a career high. Kinsler has recorded two-or-more hits in 23 of his last 48 games and is batting .342 (68×199) with 34 runs scored, 10 doubles, three triples, six home runs and 28 RBI during the 48-game stretch.
TRIPLE THREAT: Rajai Davis hit his 11th triple of the season in last night’s game. Davis’ 11 triples are the most by a Tiger since Austin Jackson also hit 11 triples in 2011. As a team, the Tigers now have 47 triples this season, which leads the majors, and are the most by the team since they had 50 triples in 2007. Davis ranks third in the American League with 11 triples, while Anthony Gose and Ian Kinsler are tied for ninth with seven triples.
TONIGHT’S TIDBITS
- The first 5,000 fans 21-and-older will receive a Detroit Tigers Tote Bag, sponsored by Lipari/Old Tyme Deli.
- The game ball will be delivered by Master Sergeant Kyle C. McMillian of the U.S. Army Special Forces. Master Sergeant McMillan has served 13 tours of duty to Bolivia, Colombia, Paraguay, Ecuador, and Afghanistan. He is a Seal Dive Supervisor, a jump master and has received three Bronze Stars, the Army Commendation Meda, DMSM2, AAM3, and the TSAM3.
- The Detroit Tigers Foundation 50/50 Charity Raffle continues at Comerica Park this weekend. This weekend, the raffle will happen on Friday and Saturday. The partner charity for this weekend’s 50/50 raffle is Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund (JDRF). JDRF is the leading global organization focused on Type 1 Diabetes research.
- The ceremonial first pitches will be thrown by former University of Michigan football player Jon Jansen and former University of Michigan basketball player Jalen Rose.
- The national anthem will be performed by the Michigan G-Men, a University of Michigan A Capella group.
- Friday Night Fireworks will follow the game, weather permitting.
TIGERS AT A GLANCE
Record: 71-81 / Streak: W2
Game #153 / Home #79
Home: 37-41 / Road 34-40
TIGERS VS. TWINS
2015 Record: 10-6
2015 at Home: 5-1
2015 at Minnesota: 5-5
All-Time Record: 1,095-1,003-17
All-Time at Home: 582-468-8
All-Time at Comerica Park: 74-68
All-Time at Minnesota: 513-535-9
2015 GAME LOG
| Date | Site | Result | Winner/Loser/Save |
| 4/6 | DET | W, 4-0 | Price/Hughes/Nathan |
| 4/8 | DET | W, 11-0 | Sanchez/Nolasco |
| 4/9 | DET | W, 7-1 | Greene/Gibson |
| 4/27 | MIN | W, 5-4 | Price/Milone/Soria |
| 4/28 | MIN | L, 3-2 | Pelfrey/Sanchez/Perkins |
| 4/29 | MIN | W, 10-7 | Gorzelanny/Fien/Soria |
| 5/12 | DET | W, 2-1 (10) | Nesbitt/Pressly |
| 5/13 | DET | L, 6-2 | Nolasco/Lobstein |
| 5/14 | DET | W, 13-1 | Sanchez/Pelfrey |
| 7/9 | MIN | W, 4-2 | Price/Pelfrey/Soria |
| 7/10 | MIN | L, 8-6 | May/Soria |
| 7/11 | MIN | L, 9-5 | Hughes/Simon |
| 7/12 | MIN | L, 7-1 | Gibson/Greene |
| 9/14 | MIN | L, 7-1 | Duffey/Lobstein |
| 9/15 | MIN | W, 5-4 | Simon/Hughes/Rondon |
| 9/16 | MIN | W, 7-4 (12) | Krol/Duensing |
| 9/25 | DET | ||
| 9/26 | DET | ||
| 9/27 | DET |
STREAKS
Last five games: 2-3
Last 10 games: 6-4
Last 15 games: 8-7
Last 20 games: 10-10
This content was originally published on September 25, 2015. It was delivered electronically to specific media contacts and the entire Detroit Tigers front office staff, as well as being available to media in the press box and distributed to fans at program stands around Comerica Park.
