Game 32 Preview: Can Tigers prevent sweep at Braves behind Valdez?

The Detroit Tigers fell under the .500 mark on Wednesday night after a 4-3 loss at the hands of the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. It was the team’s second-straight defeat and fourth in the past five games.

After failing to capitalize on a Tarik Skubal start, the Motor City Kitties turn to left-hander Framber Valdez to prevent a road sweep that would end the interleague swing with a disappointing 3-6 mark. To be fair, the Braves are the best team in the big leagues right now, holding a two-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the overall standings heading into Thursday.

As for Valdez, the Tigers have won four of his six starts this season, though he has thrown just seven innings once. With the exception of one glaring outlier, he has done a great job keeping the opposition off the scoreboard, but unfortunately, that was not the case last time he faced Atlanta.

He previously pitched in Truist Park on behalf of the Houston Astros last year on Sept. 14 and gave up five runs on six hits (one home run) and four walks while striking out two over four frames for the loss.

Opposite Valdez is right-hander Bryce Elder, who is in his fifth major league season — all coming with the Braves — after being drafted in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB draft. He saw the Tigers in his penultimate appearance last season on Sept. 19, throwing seven innings of one-run ball on five hits (including a solo home run) and one walk while striking out seven in the win.