MLB Game Preview - Boston at Detroit

Sat Apr 8, 2017 1:10 PM EDT

DETROIT -- There's a good bit of doubt in Detroit about just what kind of pitcher Jordan Zimmermann will be in 2017.

The Tigers hope the right-hander can be the pitcher this April that he was last April, when he went 5-0 with a 0.55 ERA to get named American League Pitcher of the Month.

His season steadily unraveled after that and Zimmermann, bothered by side and neck injuries, was 9-7 with a 4.87 ERA for 19 games, which included one relief appearance.

Zimmermann will make his first start of the season Saturday against Boston, who will oppose him with left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez.

Over his career, Zimmermann holds a 1-1 record with a 6.06 ERA against Boston in three starts.

Rodriguez, who turned 24 Friday, hopes to pick up on his strong second half to 2016 when he makes his first start of the season for Boston.

Rodriguez made 14 starts after the All-Star break and posted a 3.24 ERA while allowing just 1.14 walks and hits per inning pitched. A win would put him above .500 for his career (13-13).

He will be making his third career start against the Tigers. He was 1-0 with a 2.92 ERA in his first two.

Zimmermann was switched with lefty Daniel Norris in the Detroit rotation when the Tigers were rained out Wednesday in Chicago. Norris had a tender shoulder in the latter stages of spring training and Zimmermann got sick in Chicago.

"With the rainout and Zimmermann being sick, (we wanted to get) him to get healthy from the illness and Norris to give his shoulder a little bit more rest," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "We juggled it how we wanted to this time. Now we have the two lefties (Norris and Matthew Boyd) separated. That also played into the rotation change with the rainout."

The bullpens of both teams enter Saturday a little battered.

Detroit's gave up five runs in the eighth inning to make a 4-0 lead vanish, but Boston's allowed two runs in the bottom of the eighth as the Tigers pulled out a 6-5 win in their home opener.

"The four total walks and the base hit (in the eighth), obviously, are a difficult one here," Boston manager John Farrell said. "We dramatically come back and take (the lead with) a big five-run eighth.

"This one got away from us."

There was a difference Friday in that Boston declined the four-out save chance while Detroit went for it. Neither move worked out the way the managers wanted.

"There'll be a time in this season when you look to go to (closer Craig) Kimbrel for four outs," Farrell said, "but not in Game 3."

Ausmus got a scoreless seventh from lefty Justin Wilson, but Bruce Rondon, using his slider and changeup in fastball counts as part of the plan to get him to diversify more, gave up a one-out walk plus a single and a double in his short stint. Alex Wilson faced two batters before Francisco Rodriguez was brought in to try to get the last four outs.

"Rondon had a struggle," Ausmus said. "K-Rod struggled the first inning, at least the first hitter. Justin Wilson was real good.

"Alex Wilson was fine; gave up a hitter but then he got the next out, so there's some bright spots. You're going to have games where things don't go well in some facet."