Detroit Tigers Lead AL Central, Face Struggling Texas Rangers

The Detroit Tigers open a six-game homestand with a three-game series against the Texas Rangers, with Tigers ace Tarik Skubal starting Friday's opener against Rangers lefty Patrick Corbin. Skubal, the reigning AL Cy Young winner, has been dominant this season with a 2.21 ERA and strong strikeout-to-walk ratio, especially excelling at home with a 1.06 ERA, while Corbin has shown some improvement with the Rangers but still faces challenges against Detroit's powerful lineup, which has hit the most home runs in the past two weeks. The Tigers are first in the AL Central and riding a hot streak after a 7-3 road trip and a sweep of the Rockies, whereas the Rangers, sitting fourth in the AL West, have struggled offensively and recently lost two of three to the Red Sox. Advanced metrics highlight Detroit's strong offense and pitching balance, with recent trends showing games often going over the total runs line, while Texas has struggled on the road and in scoring. Overall, experts predict Skubal to continue his strong form and expect Detroit to maintain their momentum against a struggling Rangers team.