Four Keys for Yankees in Exciting Series Matchup Against Detroit Tigers

After a series win against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the New York Yankees will be heading to play a three-game set against the Detroit Tigers. 

It has been a great start to the season for the Yankees, and they will be tested on the road against the Tigers. 

Detroit was one of the biggest surprises in baseball last year. The team caught fire in the second half of the season, and despite being sellers at the trade deadline, ended up making the postseason. 

Now, expectations are much higher for them, and they are off to a decent start to the campaign despite some injuries. 

As the Yankees look to keep up their winning ways, here are four keys to the series against the Tigers. 

Talented Duo Must Be Watched

This winter, the Tigers were seeking some help for their emerging star Riley Greene in the middle of the batting order. However, besides signing Gleyber Torres, they weren’t able to accomplish that. 

Luckily, this spring, their former first overall pick, Spencer Torkelson, has finally hit his groove. Despite it looking like he might be on his way out after last year, the slugger had a great spring and is now batting in the middle of the order for Detroit. 

The combination of him and Greene has been strong so far for the Tigers, giving them exactly what they were looking for. 

Uncertainty in Starting Rotation

Until proven otherwise, there is some concern in the rotation for the Yankees. Starting in game one of the series is going to be Carlos Rodon. The southpaw struggled in his last start and with his up and down history with the team, there is reason to worry. 

Furthermore, the Yankees will also have Carlos Carrasco on the mound in game two, and the jury is still out on what he might be able to accomplish. 

It wasn’t a good series for Will Warren or Marcus Stroman in Pittsburgh, and besides Max Fried, there isn’t much to rely on right now. 

Keep Offense Rolling

New York will come into the series with arguably the best offense in the game right now. The Yankees were able to stay hot against the Pirates, with a nine-run and 10-run outburst in the series. 

They will be facing some tough pitchers in this set, and this could be the hardest test early on for New York’s offense. 

The Yankees are off to an historic start at the plate, and they haven't shown any signs of slowing down.

Facing Reigning Cy Young

In the middle game of the series, the Yankees are set to face the reigning American League Cy Young award winner, Tarik Skubal. 

The southpaw was the clear-cut choice for the award last year, but he struggled early on to begin this season. 

Through two starts, Skubal has totaled a 0-2 record and 5.91 ERA. While one of those starts was to begin the year against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Skubal also didn’t pitch great against the Seattle Mariners. 

Due to the struggles for a pitcher of that caliber, the Yankees might be getting him at a good time.