Detroit Tigers Will Roll the Dice with Jordan Zimmermann on Friday

The Detroit Tigers will enter the final weekend of the season fighting for a playoff spot. They will need Jordan Zimmermann to pitch the way he did earlier in the year.

After finishing in last place for the first time since 2008 last year, the Detroit Tigers made fixing their starting rotation one of their top priorities this past offseason. The biggest piece of the puzzle was Jordan Zimmermann, who signed a five-year, $110 million deal to come to Detroit.

Early on, it appeared as though the Tigers had made an excellent investment. Through Zimmermann’s first eight starts, he was 6-2 with a 2.45 ERA.

Zimmermann’s season hit its first bump on May 22, when he was removed from a game against the Tampa Bay Rays with a groin injury. Over his next six starts, he went 2-2 with a bloated 6.43 ERA before being placed on the DL with a neck issue.

The 30-year-old right-hander has only made two starts since then. Neither of those outings went particularly well.

After surrendering six earned runs over just 1.2 innings of work against the Chicago White Sox on August 4, Zimmermann quickly returned to the DL. He made another comeback attempt on September 10, giving up six earned runs over one inning against the Baltimore Orioles.

After one relatively solid relief outing, it appears that Zimmermann will now be making one more start. He will reportedly take the ball on Friday night, when the Tigers visit the Atlanta Braves for a three-game set to conclude the regular season.

The Tigers are currently only one game out of an AL Wild Card spot. They also have one game left with the Cleveland Indians before heading to Atlanta.

This will clearly be a crucial series for the Tigers. The Atlanta Braves may be a last-place team, but Zimmermann will still have to go through a lineup that features Freddie Freeman and Matt Kemp.

If Zimmermann can pitch the way he is capable of, however, it will be a major help to the Tigers. It is important not to forget how well Zimmermann has performed in recent years. He had a 3.14 ERA over the past five seasons with the Washington Nationals.

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If the Tigers are fortunate enough to sneak into the postseason, a vintage Zimmermann would be huge. Either Justin Verlander or Michael Fulmer would likely be used in a one-game playoff. In theory, Zimmermann, perhaps along with youngster Daniel Norris, might be able to round out the rest of the rotation.