If there is a team to be rooting for right now in the American League, it has to be the Detroit Tigers, who seemingly sold out at the trade deadline but are refusing to go down without a fight. Most notably, Tarik Skubal was dealt to the reigning world champions, but the front office also traded away their No.2 pitcher, Casey Mize, who is now playing for the San Diego Padres. But there are still a lot of games left to be played, and going into Friday night's action, the Tigers are a measly game out of the final wild card spot. That being said, Detroit is looking to close out its nine-game road stretch as strongly as it started, where they put up 32 runs against the Athletics, and take its third series on the West Coast. The offense has been obliterating pitching staffs, so it isn't shocking to see AJ Hinch trot out a near-identical starting lineup night after night. The absolute dominance from Max Clark since stepping into the majors, as well as Dillon Dingler's MVP campaign, make it fairly easy to put out an elite order, and when a team figures out what works, great things happen. Tigers Starting Line Ups Friday Evening at Oracle ParkDetroit Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle (7) hits a single in the fifth inning against the Kansas City Royals | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectNine times out of 10, since Gleyber Torres' return from the dreaded injured list, he has been coming up to bat in the second position, right behind the team's for-sure leadoff man, Kevin McGonigle, with Dingler as the No.3 man whether he is catching or the DH. For the series opener against the San Francisco Giants, Dingler will be the man behind the dish, meaning Eduardo Valencia has the night off. 3B Kevin McGonigle2B Gleyber TorresC Dillon DinglerLF Riley GreeneDH Colt Keith1B Spencer TorkelsonCF Max ClarkSS Javier BaezRF Zach McKinstryMost valuable players across MLB this season, as measured by fWAR:1. Pete Crow-Armstrong — 7.82. Shohei Ohtani — 6.73. Yordan Alvarez — 5.74. Dillon Dingler — 5.6#DNMW pic.twitter.com/3Nubf0iWbb— Tigers PR (@DetroitTigersPR) August 7, 2026While the Tigers' pitching staff took some big hits with the losses of both Mize and Skubal, they have looked pretty elite this road trip. In the first six games of this stretch, they have shut out teams three times and allowed one run in another. Friday night, Keider Montero will look to quickly set the tone, and as he is coming off a six-inning shutout while posting a 2.70 ERA in his last seven games, expect him to do just that. Detroit might not have been buyers at the deadline, but that doesn't mean its season was simply over. If they head back to Comerica Park with another sweep, the ballclub will be .500 for the first time in a very long time, and firmly in control of their playoff destiny. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow