By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Behind RHP Jerad Eickhoff, the Philadelphia Phillies (1-3) will look to snap their two-game skid as they oppose RHP Mike Fiers and the Detroit Tigers (3-1) in a Tuesday matinee at Spectrum Field.
Odubel Herrera, who is nursing a sore right shoulder, will lead off as the designated hitter. Tommy Joseph will start in left field and bat behind cleanup hitter, first baseman Rhys Hoskins. Non-roster invitee Collin Cowgill (right field) and switch-hitting Roman Quinn (center field) will bat eighth and ninth to round out the lineup.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Detroit Tigers (3-1) | Philadelphia Phillies (1-3) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Mike Fiers | RHP | Jerad Eickhoff | ||
| (2017, HOU: 8-10, 5.22 ERA) | (2017: 4-8, 4.71 ERA) | ||||
Fiers, 32, will make his spring and Tigers debuts, having signed a one-year, $6 million contract on Dec. 8. The World Series champion Houston Astros non-tendered the seven-year veteran a week prior, just before the Friday, Dec. 1 deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players. Fiers signed to the higher end of his projected salary arbitration earnings, which ranged from $5.5 to $6 million.
Major League Baseball suspended the Hollywood, Florida native for five games last September for throwing over the head of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim's Luis Valbuena. No warnings were issued to either side prior to the throw. While Fiers did not appear for the Astros in the postseason, he finished the 2017 regular season 8-10 with a 5.22 ERA and 146-62 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 153 1/3 innings.
Eickhoff, 27, returns for his second exhibition start of 2018 spring training. In Thursday's exhibition opener against the University of Tampa Spartans, the Phillies right-hander threw two solid innings, striking out two batters and allowing just one opposing batter to reach via a hit-by-pitch.
The Phillies will continue to monitor Eickhoff's right hand, which experienced nerve irritation and landed him on the 60-day disabled list in early September last season. Eickhoff went 4-8 with a 4.71 ERA in 24 starts in 2017.
Starting Lineups:
| Detroit Tigers (3-1) | Philadelphia Phillies (1-3) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | 2B | Dixon Machado | R | 1 | DH | Odubel Herrera | L |
| 2 | SS | Jose Iglesias | R | 2 | SS | J.P. Crawford | L |
| 3 | 1B | Miguel Cabrera | R | 3 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R |
| 4 | RF | Nicholas Castellanos | R | 4 | 1B | Rhys Hoskins | R |
| 5 | DH | Victor Martinez | S | 5 | LF | Tommy Joseph | R |
| 6 | LF | Mikie Mahtook | R | 6 | C | Cameron Rupp | R |
| 7 | 3B | Ronny Rodriguez* | R | 7 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S |
| 8 | C | Derek Norris* | R | 8 | RF | Collin Cowgill* | R |
| 9 | CF | Victor Reyes | S | 9 | CF | Roman Quinn | S |
* non-roster invitee
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 1:05 p.m.
- TV: NBCSP+, MLBN
- Radio: N/A
Game Notes:
- Phillies catcher Jorge Alfaro leads the team in batting average (.750), on-base percentage (.833), slugging percentage (1.750), OPS (2.583) and RBIs (5) so far this spring. Third baseman Maikel Franco has the second-most RBIs with two, followed by nine players with one each.
- The Tigers are beginning their first season under 13-year veteran manager Ron Gardenhire, who replaces Brad Ausmus after going 314-332 (.486) from 2014-2017. Gardenhire compiled a 1,068-1,039 (.507) record through 2,107 games managing the Minnesota Twins from 2002-2014. He ranks 54th on the all-time Major League Baseball managerial wins list.
- Former Phillies southpaw reliever Daniel Stumpf is on the Tigers' active roster, having posted a 3.82 ERA through 55 relief appearances and 13 games finished with Detroit in 2017. Stumpf appeared in just seven games with the Phillies as a Rule 5 draft selection, as he was suspended 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug in April 2016.
What's Next:
- Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018: at Toronto Blue Jays, 1:07 p.m.
- Dunedin Stadium, Dunedin, Fla.
- RHP Vince Velasquez (2017: 2-7, 5.13 ERA) vs. RHP Joe Biagini (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
- TV: N/A; Radio: MLB.com
