3 things to watch this weekend: Kershaw sets sights on 100th win; Syndergaard goes for 1st

by Brandon Wile 2h ago

Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA TODAY Sports

A pair of heavyweights clash, the league's best pitcher guns for a major milestone and a couple of first-round picks make their sophomore starts this weekend in Major League Baseball. Here are three things to watch:

Offense meets pitching as Tigers visit St. Louis

Two of the best teams in baseball square off as the Detroit Tigers make the eight hour trek South West for a three-game set with the St. Louis Cardinals for the first time since 2009.
The Tigers' explosive offense had been quieted for most of the month until busting out for 13 runs off 20 hits in Thursday's win over the Minnesota Twins. Scoring probably won't come easy for the Tigers this weekend, as they're facing a Cardinals' pitching staff who owns the lowest ERA in baseball and will likely be without Victor Martinez as they're without the benefit of the DH.
The Cardinals have hardly slowed despite the loss of ace Adam Wainwright, owning the best record in the majors at 24-10. After wrapping up a six-game road trip that saw them finish 3-3, St. Louis returns to Busch Stadium, a place where they're 14-3 on the season and 119-60 dating back to 2013.

Date	Tigers	Cardinals	Time (EST)
Fri	Shane Greene (3-2; 4.71 ERA)	Carlos Martinez (3-1; 4.89 ERA)	8:15 PM
Sat	David Price (3-1; 3.30 ERA)	Tyler Lyons (0-0; 4.82 ERA)	2:15 PM
Sun	Alfredo Simon (4-1; 3.05 ERA)	Lance Lynn (2-3; 3.27 ERA	8:05 PM

Kershaw sets sights on 100th win

Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw couldn't face a more favorable opposition in his quest to hit the century mark in wins. The three-time NL Cy Young winner takes the mound Friday against the Colorado Rockies, losers of 11 of their last 12 games, and a team he's dominated over his career. Kershaw is 7-1 with a 2.41 ERA and 84 strikeouts over his last 10 starts against the Rockies, including a no-hitter last June.
Kershaw, who has gone his last four starts without a win, would become the eighth pitcher since 1980 to win 100 games before turning 28.

Date	Rockies	Dodgers	Time (EST)
Thur	Rafael Betancourt (W)	Yimi Garcia (L)	5-4 COL
Fri	Eddie Butler (2-3; 3.73 ERA)	Clayton Kershaw (1-2; 4.26 ERA)	10:10 PM
Sat	Jorge De La Rosa (0-2; 9.56 ERA)	Zack Greinke (5-0; 1.52 ERA)	9:10 PM
Sun	Kyle Kendrick (1-4; 7.65 ERA)	Mike Bolsinger (1-0; 1.59 ERA	4:10 PM

Young arms making second starts

Two former first-round selections are set to make their second career starts.
Chicago White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon was made a permanent fixture in the rotation earlier this week and he'll hope to pick up where he left off after allowing two runs off four hits, while striking out eight Cincinnati Reds in six innings on May 9, recording his first big league win. The 22-year-old, who was taken in last year's draft, only logged 34 1/3 innings in the minors before making his MLB debut on April 21.

Date	White Sox	Athletics	Time (EST)
Fri	Carlos Rodon (1-0; 2.92 ERA)	Jesse Hahn (1-3; 4.73 ERA)	10:05 PM

New York Mets top-prospect Noah Syndergaard arrived to the majors earlier this week after spending six seasons in the minor leagues. The right-hander took the loss against the Chicago Cubs after allowing three runs off six hits and four walks, but managed to strikeout six in 5 1/3 innings. The 22-year-old gets the ball for the series finale Sunday with the Milwaukee Brewers.