Thank you all for joining! I am your host, Evan Petzold, signing out.
The VAVEL USA Player of the Game is David Price. The starting pitcher got the win after pitching 8.2 innings and giving up zero runs on five hits and zero walks. Price struck out five.
The Tigers dominate with pitching to win the first game of the 2015 MLB Regular Season. Happy Opening Day!
Top 9th (3 Outs) - Joe Nathan strikes out Torii Hunter with a 86 mph slider to end this ball game!
Joe Nathan has came in for Price.
David Price has been removed from the game. We have a pitching change.
Top 9th (2 Outs) - Joe Mauer singles on an infield hit to the second base gap.
Brad Ausmus comes to the mound, but David Price does not give up the ball. He wants to finish what he started.
Top 9th (2 Outs) - Brian Dozier singles to keep the game alive.
Top 9th (2 Outs) - Danny Santana flies out to center fielder Rajai Davis.
Top 9th (1 Out) - David Price gets Escobar to ground out to shortstop. WOW, Nice play from Jose Iglesias.
Eduardo Escobar is pinch hitting for Jordan Schafer.
DUE UP: Jordan Schafer, Danny Santana, Brian Dozier
Bottom 8th (3 Outs) - Nick Castellanos lines out to short.
Bottom 8th (2 Outs) - Yoenis Cespedes flys out to right fielder Torii Hunter.
Bottom 8th (1 Out) - J.D. Martinez flies out to center field for the first out this inning.
Bottom 8th (0 Outs) - A leadoff single for Victor Martinez.
DUE UP: Victor Martinez, J.D. Martinez, Yoenis Cespedes
Top 8th (3 Outs) - Suzuki flies out to center field and that does it for the Twins in that half-inning.
Top 8th (2 Outs) - David Price throws a pitch to Arcia and gets him to strike out!
Top 8th (1 Out) - David Price gets Plouffe to fly out to right. One pitch, one out.
DUE UP: Trevor Plouffe, Oswaldo Arcia, Kurt Suzuki
Bottom 7th (3 Outs) - Miguel Cabrera pops out to first base in foul territory.
Bottom 7th (2 Outs) - Kinsler hits the ball right to second base. Danny Santana strolls over to turn a double paly.
Bottom 7th (0 Outs) - Rajai Davis walks.
Iglesias steals second base.
Bottom 7th (0 Outs) - Jose Iglesias singles on a ground ball to the second baseman.
DUE UP: Jose Iglesias, Rajai Davis, Ian Kinsler
Top 7th (3 Outs) - Kennys Vargas grounds out to shortstop Jose Iglesias.
Top 7th (2 Outs) - Torii Hunter grounds out to shortstop Jose Iglesias.
Top 7th (1 Out) - Joe Mauer grounds out to second baseman Ian Kinsler.
DUE UP: Joe Mauer, Torii Hunter, Kennys Vargas
Bottom 6th (3 Outs) - Alex Avila strike out swinging.
Bottom 6th (2 Outs) - Nick Castellanos hits a sacrifice fly to center field. Yoenis Cespedes comes in to score. 4-0, Tigers.
Bottom 6th (1 Out) - Yoenis Cespedes triples on a fly ball to left field. WOW! That was impressive.
Bottom 6th (1 Out) - J.D. Martinez flies out to right fielder Torii Hunter.
DUE UP: J.D. Martinez, Yoenis Cespedes, Nick Castellanos
Top 6th (3 Outs) - Brain Dozier grounds into a double play. Iglesias to Kinsler to Cabrera.
Top 6th (1 Out) - David Price makes a pretty pitch to get Danny Santana looing.
Top 6th (0 Outs) - Jordan Schafer singles on a ground ball up the middle.
Top 6th (0 Outs) - Catcher Kurt Suzuki singles to right field to get things started for the Twins.
DUE UP: Kurt Suzuki, Jordan Schafer, Danny Santana
Bottom 5th (3 Outs) - An 88 mph cutter gets V-Mart called out on strikes.
Bottom 5th (2 Outs) - Miguel Cabrera grounds into a double play. Plouffe to Dozier to Mauer.
Bottom 5th (0 Outs) - Ian Kinsler singles to center field.
DUE UP: Ian Kinsler, Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez
Top 5th (3 Outs) - Oswaldo Arcia strikes out swinging.
Top 5th (2 Outs) - Trevor Plouffe hits one deep, but Rajai Davis is able to corral it in and make the out.
Top 5th (1 Out) - Vargas takes one down the middle and knocks it for a single. That was the first hit for the Twins today.
Top 5th (1 Out) - Torii Hunter flies out to right fielder J.D. Martinez.
DUE UP: Torii Hunter, Kennys Vargas, Trevor Plouffe
Bottom 4th (3 Outs) - A 91 mph fastball gets Rajai Davis looking. Inning over.
Bottom 4th (2 Outs) - Jose Iglesias grounds into a force out. He is safe at first and Castellanos is at third.
Bottom 4th (1 Out) - Alex Avila singles to put Castellanos in scoring position.
Bottom 4th (1 Out) - Nick Castellanos takes first base because of a walk.
Bottom 4th (1 Out) - Yoenis Cespedes flies out to center fielder Jordan Schafer.
DUE UP: Yoenis Cespedes, Nick Castellanos, Alex Avila
Top 4th (3 Outs) - David Price pitched a 95 mph, four-seam fastball, to get Mauer looking.
Top 4th (2 Outs) - Alex Avila catches the ball in foul territory. Dozier is out.
Top 4th (1 Out) - Ian Kinsler with a beautiful catch. It was a line drive that should have gone over the head of Kinsler, but he jumped just high enough!
DUE UP: Danny Santana, Brian Dozier, Joe Mauer
Bottom 3rd (3 Outs) - J.D. Martinez strikes out on three straight pitches.
Bottom 3rd (2 Outs) - Victor Martinez lines out to right fielder Torii Hunter.
Bottom 3rd (1 Out) - Miguel Cabrera pops out to second base.
DUE UP: Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, J.D. Martinez
Top 3rd (3 Outs) - Jordan Schafer flys out to center field.
Top 3rd (2 Outs) - Kurt Suzuki hits a home run deep to left, WAIT! Yoenis Cespedes makes his jump and robs Suzuki of a shot.
Top 3rd (1 Out) - Arcia grounds out to second baseman Ian Kinsler who flips it over to first baseman Miguel Cabrera.
Due Up: Arcia, Suzuki and Schafer for the Twins.
Bottom 2nd (3 Outs) - Ian Kinser is called out on strikes.
Bottom 2nd (2 Outs) - Rajai Davis rips the ball to the shortstop who just tags out Iglesias, who stole second earlier, in the middle of short and third. Not a good play by Iglesias.
Bottom 2nd (1 Outs) - Iglesias singles on a ground ball to center field.
Bottom 2nd (1 Out) - WAY BACK AND GONE! Alex Avila launches one to left field and the Tigers take a 3-0 lead.
Bottom 2nd (1 Out) - Nick Castellanos strikes out swinging after a very long at-bat.
Bottom 2nd (O Outs) - Yoenis Cespedes gets into the pary with a double down the line.
Bottom 2nd (0 Outs) - GONE! J.D. Martinez plays longball and the Tigers take a 1-0 lead!
Due Up: J.D. Martinez, Yoenis Cespedes and Nick Castellanos.
Top 2nd (3 Outs) - Trevor Plouffe lines out to left fielder Yoenis Cespedes.
Top 2nd (2 Outs) - Vargas hits the ball to Kinsler, who makes a rutine play to flip it over to Cabrera.
Top 2nd (1 Out) - David Price gets his first stikeout. It touched 94 mph and was belt-buckle high.
Bottom 1st (2 Out) - Miguel Cabrera flys out to former Tiger, Torii Hunter.
Bottom 1st (1 Out) - Ian Kinsler slaps one to left for a single.
Bottom 1st (1 Out) - Rajai Davis ground out to second.
Phil Hughes is making his first Opening Day start in his carrer.
Top 1st (3 Outs) - A 1,2,3 inning to start the first inning of 2015 baseball. Joe Mauer is retired.
Top 1st (2 Outs) - Two quick fly outs to Castellanos and Miggy.
Opening Day is here! PLAY BALL!!!!
First pitch will be at 1:08 PM EST from Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan between the Tigers and Twins. VAVEL USA will carry you throughout the entire game right here!
Minnesota has lost at least 92 games in each of the last four seasons, while putting together a farm system that is considered one of the best in baseball.
Martinez will be able to DH, though, and Ausmus is happy with how he looks after an abbreviated training camp.
"When he first started getting back into games, he really didn't look like himself," Ausmus said. "Part of that is just getting your timing. But the last three days he's really started swinging the bat like Victor."
"We open up in our division. We'd love to get off to a good start," starting pitcher Phil Hughes said.
Here is your starting lineup for the Minneosta Twins: Santana (SS), Dozier (2B), Mauer (1B), Hunter (RF), Vargas (DH), Plouffe (3B), Arcia (LF), Suzuki (C), Schafer (CF), Hughes (P)
Here is your starting lineup for the Detroit Tigers: Davis (CF), Kinsler (2B), Cabrera (1B), Victor Martinez (DH), J.D. Martinez (RF), Cespedes (LF), Castellanos (3B), Avila (C), Iglesias (SS), Price (P)
"I'm extremely honored to take the ball on that day, because it's a very special day in baseball," Price said. "It caught me by surprise, to say the least. I definitely thought it'd be Ver out there. I'm really excited for it."
Even though Price is getting the Opening Day start, there is no real clear-cut No. 1 ace. It will be either Price or Verlander, but someone will have to earn that role over the season. Nothing is cemented in right now.
Joe Mauer played in 16 games and took 44 at-bats. He had a .273/.347/.409 slash line. Mauer, a former MVP winner, racked up 12 hits, three doubles, one home run, five RBIs and five walks, while striking out seven times.
Eduardo Escobar is just a 26-year-old from Venezuela, but he knows how to play the game. The shortstop hit .344/.339/.623 over 18 games and 61 at-bats. He finished spring with 21 hits, five doubles, zero triples, four homers and an outstanding 20 RBIs. Yes, he really hit 20 RBIs over 18 games. Escobar is a stud and could give the Twins some life.
Brian Dozier slashed .367/.436/.694 during 2015 Spring Training. Dozier will occupy second base for Minnesota. Dozier played in 17 games and took 49 at-bats. He finished spring with 18 hits, five doubles, one triple, one home run, six RBIs, three walks. He struck out just four times.
Torii Hunter played with the Tigers last season and he gets to start 2015 right where he ended 2014: in Comerica Park. However, he will just be on the other team. Hunter slashed .357/.400/.524 with one home run and six RBIs. He played in 15 games and took 42 at-bats.
The Twins are led by Torii Hunter, Brian Dozier, Eduardo Escobar and Joe Mauer. They are some of the cornerstone players that could help the Twins get a few wins here and there, but Minnesota is projected to be at the bottom of the American League Central division.
All in all, the Tigers are a dominant team who can produce runs. They will have to pray that the bullpen holds up because it did not help them in the previous three years.
The final key player from the Tigers is Yoenis Cespedes, who was acquired via trade in the offseason with the Boston Red Sox. Cespedes showed that he could hit for average during the spring, which is something he struggled with during his previous two MLB seasons. The Cuban Missile slashed .311/.323/.639 with five homers and 11 RBIs. He proved he still has power and pop in his bat. Cespedes played in 21 games and took 61 at-bats.
J.D. Martinez, who the Tigers got after he was released by the Houston Astros mid-way through the 2014 season, has dominated during the spring. J.D., who is not related to Victor, slashed .313/.403/.597 with five long balls and 11 RBIs. Martinez finished with 21 hits, four doubles, zero triples and eight walks. He struck out 13 times.
Anyways, Martinez hit .143/.167/.314 with two homers and three RBIs. He had five hits, no doubles and no triples. V-Mart struck out six times, which he normally does not do as often.
The man who protects Cabrera is Victor Martinez. He also had offseason surgery to make himself 100 percent. Martinez struggled over 10 games and 35 at-bats, but he will not struggle in the regular season. He proved he was back for real with a homer in the Tigers last game of spring training against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Miguel Cabrera is always a threat when he steps to the plate. The two-time American League MVP and Triple Crown winner is finally 100 percent after two injury plagued season. Cabrera had offseason surgery and was limited in the spring. The surgery must have helped because Cabrera hit .345/.412/.724 with three homers and eight RBIs. The 31-year-old played in 11 games and took 29 at-bats.
Ian Kinsler roasted opponents during 2015 Spring Training. Over 19 games and 55 at-bats he slashed .400/.460/.709 with two homers and 13 RBIs. It was an outstanding spring for the 32-year-old. He finished with 22 hits, seven doubles, two triples, two homers, five walks and one stolen base.
Gose, who is the projected leadoff hitter, batted .299/.356/.488 with zero homers and seven RBIs. He stole six bases and notched 20 hits. Gose played in 24 games and was able to manage 64 at-bats. The 24-year-old makes some heads up plays as well.
The Tigers are led by Ian Kinsler, Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, J.D. Martinez, Yoenis Cespedes and even speedy Anthony Gose. Gose got tossed into the mixed because of a very impressive spring and Kinsler just could not quit hitting the ball.
Minnesota will counter with Phil Hughes. The 29-year-old did well for the Twins last season, but he struggled in 2015 Spring Training. During spring, Hughes had a 2-0 record with a 5.28 ERA over five games started. He was able to log 15.1 innings, while giving up nine runs on 17 hits, seven walks and two homers. However, he had an impressive 15 strikeouts. Hughes racked up a 1.565 and a 2.14 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
"It's a tough decision when you have two guys like that," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "I think I could have gone either way. I could have gone Verlander-Price, but I decided to go Price-Verlander."
This is the first time in seven years that Justin Verlander will not take the ball for Detroit.
Detroit will send David Price to the hill to take on the Minnesota Twins. Price had a 0-2 record with a 5.76 ERA during 2015 Spring Training. He started six games and logged 25.0 innings. Overall, Price gave up 24 hits, 16 runs, one homer and five walks during spring. The 29-year-old held a 1.16 ERA with 29 strikeouts.
"I'm coming here to win," Molitor said when he took the job this winter. "I think it's very important to lay that out there right from the start. Things can change very dramatically at this level, very quickly."
Paul Molitor, who hammered out a 21-year, Hall of Fame career as a player, including spending his final three seasons with the Twins, is making his managerial debut for Minnesota. This is their first season without Ron Gardenhire since 2001.
The forecast at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan calls for a high of 54 degrees and a low of 45 degrees, which is great this time of year. There is a 20 percent chance of precipitation, so rain probably will not be an issue. It seems like it will be a great day for baseball!
Hello ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to rock and roll? My name is Evan Petzold and welcome to VAVEL USA's Live and Score of the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins. VAVEL USA is brining you live of Opening Day baseball. Stay tuned, Opening Day will be a blast!