Athletics’ righty Paul Blackburn looks to continue strong start against the Tigers.

This afternoon, Paul Blackburn will try to build on his excellent start to the season when the Oakland A’s play the Detroit Tigers.

Blackburn threw seven scoreless innings and recorded three strikeouts in an excellent start against the Red Sox the previous time around. He’ll also be trying to build on a strong showing in 2023.

The right-hander overcame throwing hand problems to end the previous season with a 3.96 FIP in 103.2 innings. When he was available, he performed well and earlier in the week, he shown some of that promise.

The A’s will play the hot Tigers squad, who have a 6-1 record and a +17 run differential going into today’s game. They have won both of their series against the White Sox and the Mets, so they haven’t exactly faced tough opposition.

However, a lot of people believe that the Tigers are a surprise contender to win the AL Central division this season. They’ve been going through a difficult, nearly ten-year rebuilding process.

They replaced their outgoing general manager, Al Avila, with Scott Harris last year, and he has since implemented several changes both in the front office and on the field.

It appears that the Tigers’ future is bright. Unfortunately, the A’s, who enter today’s game at 1-7, cannot say the same. They are tied for 28th place in the league with a -30 run difference. The Rockies are bottom at -31, followed by the Marlins at -30.