Rockies Visit Comerica With Nothing to Lose, Tigers Need a Win

Two teams on the wrong side of .500 meet at Comerica Park on Saturday afternoon, but the stakes couldn't feel more different. Detroit at 68-79 is still clawing for relevance; Colorado at 55-92 is playing out the string.

Tanner Gordon is expected to take the mound for Colorado, while Andrew Sears is set to start for Detroit — two pitchers whose names won't dominate the pregame conversation. What will is the power sitting in both lineups, particularly on the Colorado side. Hunter Goodman has slugged 37 home runs this season to go along with 78 RBI, and at this stage of the year, he's one of the more dangerous hitters in the National League regardless of what the Rockies' record says. Jake McCarthy adds a different dimension — hitting .297, he's the kind of contact bat that can make an inning messy before Goodman even steps to the plate. Don't let Colorado's record fool you into sleeping on their offense.

Detroit's answer is Dillon Dingler, who has quietly put together a legitimate power season with 27 home runs and 87 RBI. That RBI total tells you he's been productive with runners on base, not just padding stats in empty situations. Riley Greene at .279 gives the Tigers a reliable on-base presence near the top of the order — someone who can set the table for Dingler and keep Detroit's lineup from stalling in the early innings. The Tigers need production today; at 68-79, the margin for error in September is essentially gone.

Our model doesn't have a validated read on this one, so we're not going to manufacture a lean where there isn't one. What the numbers do tell us is that this game features two legitimate power threats in Goodman and Dingler, two pitchers who are relative unknowns at this level, and a Detroit team that has more urgency than its opponent. That combination usually produces something worth watching, even if the standings make it feel like a throwaway. First pitch is 1:10 PM ET at Comerica Park.