Neither of these teams is trending. The Twins are 31-38 and have lost 3 of their last 5 with the only wins coming against Detroit and a Royals club that gave them everything they could handle. The Tigers at 28-40 are even worse off — they're 11 games under after a 7-3 stretch where they actually looked alive, and then this Twins series came in and reminded them they're a sub-.500 team for a reason.
The injury list is where this game gets genuinely ugly. Detroit is starting Montero instead of Tarik Skubal (elbow), Casey Mize (adductor), Justin Verlander (hip), Jackson Jobe (elbow), and Reese Olson (out for the year) — that's basically a whole rotation in the trainer's room. Minnesota counters with Pablo Lopez and Bailey Ober on the shelf, plus Ryan Jeffers behind the plate, so Matthews is the depth-chart winner here by default.
- Day-To-DayWalker Jenkins (CF) — Twins manager Jeremy Zoll said Saturday that Jenkins (shoulder) is "reporting improvements daily" and could begin light baseball activity in about a week, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.05/18
- Day-To-DayJulian Merryweather (RP) — Merryweather (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with the Twins' rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate Tuesday, Theodore Tollefson of ZoneCoverage.com reports.05/08
- Day-To-DayMatt Canterino (SP) — Canterino (shoulder) will be with the Twins in big-league spring training but isn't expected to pitch during camp as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.05/08
- 10-Day-ILRyan Jeffers (C) — Jeffers had the cast and stitches removed from his surgically repaired left hand and has resumed throwing, Matthew Leach of MLB.com reports.06/03
- 15-Day-ILKendry Rojas (RP) — Rojas (elbow) will throw a bullpen session Wednesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.06/10
- 15-Day-ILMick Abel (SP) — Abel (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.06/10
- 15-Day-ILCole Sands (RP) — The Twins returned Sands (forearm) from his rehab assignment Tuesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.06/09
- 15-Day-ILBailey Ober (SP) — Ober has a mild flexor strain and will be shut down for 10-14 days, reports Dan Hayes of The Athletic06/01
- 60-Day-ILGarrett Acton (RP) — no05/19
- 60-Day-ILDavid Festa (SP) — Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll said Saturday that Festa is unlikely to return before the All-Star break after experiencing a setback in his recovery from a right shoulder impingement earlier this month, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.05/18
- 60-Day-ILPablo Lopez (SP) — The Twins placed Lopez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.05/08
- Day-To-DayDugan Darnell (RP) — The Tigers announced Sunday that Darnell (hip) has been playing catch five times a week and is also taking part in a running progression, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.05/08
- Day-To-DayJosue Briceno (C) — Briceno said Friday that he expects to be sidelined a few months after having surgery Wednesday to repair a tendon in his right wrist, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.05/08
- 10-Day-ILJavier Baez (SS) — Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Tuesday that Baez (ankle) has been shut down from baseball activities for an unspecified length of time, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.06/04
- 15-Day-ILTarik Skubal (SP) — Skubal (elbow) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Wednesday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.06/10
- 15-Day-ILCasey Mize (SP) — Mize (adductor) tossed five innings, allowing one run on three hits and a walk while striking out five during his rehab start with Single-A Lakeland on Tuesday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.06/09
- 15-Day-ILBurch Smith (RP) — Smith (shoulder) started a throwing program Tuesday, MLB.com reports.06/08
- 15-Day-ILKenley Jansen (RP) — Jansen (pelvis) will make a rehab appearance for Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.06/07
- 60-Day-ILJustin Verlander (SP) — Verlander (hip) is scheduled to make a second rehab start Wednesday with Triple-A Toledo, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.06/07
- 60-Day-ILTrey Sweeney (SS) — Sweeney will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery this week, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.06/05
- 60-Day-ILJackson Jobe (SP) — Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Tuesday that Jobe (elbow) is expected to resume facing hitters in live batting practice "in a few weeks," Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.06/04
- 60-Day-ILBrant Hurter (RP) — The Tigers placed Hurter on the 15-day injured list Sunday due to lumbar spine inflammation.05/29
- 60-Day-ILBailey Horn (RP) — Horn (elbow) began a throwing progression May 14, MLB.com reports.05/27
- 60-Day-ILReese Olson (SP) — The Tigers placed Olson on the 60-day injured list Tuesday after he underwent a right shoulder labral repair Feb. 2 that will result in him missing the 2026 season.05/08
- 60-Day-ILParker Meadows (CF) — Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said that Meadows underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a left radius fracture and will be sidelined "multiple months," Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.05/08
Comerica plays big, the lineups are thin, and the over has to climb past a Detroit team that just got shut out 4-0 by Seattle last week. Add in a noon start where bats are notoriously slow, and there's a real path to this being a 4-3 type of afternoon. If Matthews can carry his command from the Kansas City start, the Twins have the pitching edge to take the series.