The Rays made a big pickup at the deadline, adding Guardians starter Civale. He missed some time to the IL but has been good and consistent since returning, with a 2.08 ERA over his last seven appearances. He has pitched for good length too; 20+ innings of 3 run ball in his last three starts. Civale is very good in the early innings. Detroit's lefty Skubal spent many month on the IL this season. Since returning, none of his starts have been longer than five innings. Two of five starts were ugly and the other two were shut-outs. He has been very good (in a small sample size) at home.

The Rays' offense is on the upswing, climbing to 10th at .252/.801 OPS, much better that the Tigers' 25th ranked line. The Rays pen has looked a little more like its dependable self lately as well. Skubal is all or nothing in his recent starts. Even if he pitches well he is unlikely to stick around past the fifth inning. Civale is much more likely to pitch longer. Tampa has won four straight against the Tigers this year, including Friday's 8-0 pasting. Look for Tampa to continue it's rebound from a very rough stretch. Game two goes to the Rays.