When: 7:10 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago.
TV: Bally Sports Detroit.
Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1) in Detroit (Tigers radio affiliates).
Starting pitchers: Tigers RHP Reese Olson (2-6, 5.10 ERA) vs. White Sox RHP Mike Clevinger (6-6, 3.32 ERA).
Tigers lineup: TBA.
WHO’S COMING UP? Detroit Tigers add Andre Lipcius, Miguel Diaz from Triple-A Toledo as rosters expand
Game notes: As the Tigers fall further and further below .500, all eyes will be shifting to the young players on the roster, and one of the most exciting of the group is rookie Reese Olson.
Sure, Olson still has some refining to do with his game, but he has all the tools needed to be an effective pitcher at the MLB level, and his skills were on full display in his last start against the New York Yankees. His appearance against the Yanks was actually the perfect encapsulation of his rookie season. At times, he straight-up made the Yankees batters look silly. His slider absolutely dives, and if he’s locating his fastball, as he did last time out, his pitch mix can be borderline unhittable.
But Olson also issued four walks in that game and had to leave with just one out in the fifth inning because his pitch count had already reached 100, which tied for the most pitches he has thrown this year. Olson had a whopping 10 strikeouts and allowed just three hits, but was pulled when the Yankees scored a run in the fifth and was eventually handed the loss. Olson let his pitch count and some untimely hits get in the way of what could of — and should have — been a dominant performance. With 27 games remaining, Olson has a great opportunity to iron out some of those issues and enter 2024 as a key part of the Tigers’ rotation.
On the other side, the Tigers will be facing veteran Mike Clevinger, who also impressed in his last time out, albeit against the worst team in the MLB, the Oakland Athletics. Clevinger allowed just one hit and one earned run while striking out 10 batters (sound familiar)? The difference between Olson and Clevinger’s outings? Clevinger needed just 95 pitches to complete seven innings. Keeping that pitch count down allowed him to go deeper into the game and he didn’t have to rely on the bullpen like the Tigers did (Beau Brieske and José Cisnero allowed three runs and the Tigers lost 4-1).
Clevinger missed some time in June and July, but was recalled from the injured list on July 29. In five starts in August, he posted a 2.70 ERA with 29 strikeouts.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers game vs. Chicago White Sox: Time, TV channel, more info