Tigers take on the Twins in division play
Detroit Tigers (16-18, third in the AL Central) vs. Minnesota Twins (23-12, first in the AL Central)
Minneapolis; Friday, 8 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Tigers: Tyson Ross (1-4, 5.34 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 23 strikeouts) Twins: Jake Odorizzi (1-2, 2.78 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 38 strikeouts)
BOTTOM LINE: Division rivals Minnesota and Detroit will play on Friday at Target Field.
The Twins are 6-1 against AL Central opponents. Minnesota leads the American League in hitting with a .261 batting average, Jorge Polanco leads the club with an average of .344.
The Tigers are 8-8 against teams from the AL Central. The Detroit pitching staff owns a combined team ERA of 4.55, Matthew Boyd leads the staff with a mark of 2.86. This is the first game between these teams in 2019.
TOP PERFORMERS: Polanco leads the Twins with 22 extra base hits and is slugging .649. Jason Castro is 4-for-13 with a double, two home runs and seven RBIs over the last 10 games for Minnesota.
Nicholas Castellanos leads the Tigers with 14 extra base hits and is batting .268. Ronny Rodriguez is 12-for-38 with three doubles, two triples, two home runs and nine RBIs over the last 10 games for Detroit.
LAST 10 GAMES: Twins: 7-3, .246 batting average, 2.48 ERA, outscored opponents by 17 runs
Tigers: 4-6, .237 batting average, 6.50 ERA, outscored by 23 runs
Twins Injuries: Addison Reed: 10-day IL (thumb), Adalberto Mejia: 10-day IL (calf), Miguel Sano: 10-day IL (heel), Jason Castro: day-to-day (elbow), Willians Astudillo: 10-day IL (hamstring).
Tigers Injuries: Jordan Zimmermann: 10-day IL (elbow), Matt Moore: 60-day IL (knee), Blaine Hardy: 10-day IL (forearm), Michael Fulmer: 60-day IL (elbow), Jordy Mercer: 10-day IL (quad), Josh Harrison: 10-day IL (shoulder).