Detroit @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 30, 2018 ) Detroit 8, NY Yankees 7

The New York Yankees have not been shy about making moves this summer to help them make a push for the American League East crown, and they did so again Thursday by reportedly acquiring Andrew McCutchen from San Francisco. The five-time All-Star could debut with his new team as early as Friday as the Yankees host the Detroit Tigers for the second contest of their four-game series.

Minutes after New York dropped a gut-wrenching 8-7 decision to Detroit in Thursday's opener, it reportedly traded for McCutchen, presumably in an attempt to fill the void in the outfield created by Aaron Judge's wrist injury late last month. The former National League MVP would join fellow trade acquisitions Zach Britton, J.A. Happ and Lance Lynn with the Yankees, who fell eight games behind Boston in the AL East but remained 4 1/2 ahead of Oakland for the first wild card. The Tigers entered the series ranked last in the major leagues with 106 home runs but belted five against New York, including Niko Goodrum's tiebreaking solo shot that capped a three-run rally in the ninth inning. Detroit snapped its five-game losing streak as a result, winning for only the eighth time in 26 contests this month.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FS Detroit, YES (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Tigers RH Jordan Zimmermann (6-6, 4.38 ERA) vs. Yankees RH Luis Severino (17-6, 3.27)

Zimmermann's second-half struggles continued in Sunday's loss to the Chicago White Sox as he surrendered five runs and eight hits in six innings. Although he has worked at least six frames in four of his last five turns, the 32-year-old is 2-5 with a 5.50 ERA since the All-Star break after going 4-1 with a 3.71 mark during the first half. Giancarlo Stanton (7-for-32, five walks) has recorded three homers and nine strikeouts versus Zimmermann, who is 3-1 with a 3.09 ERA in five career starts against the Yankees.

Severino has yet to rediscover his first-half form, but he has managed to win three of his last four starts - including Sunday's victory at Baltimore in which he allowed three runs - two earned - over 5 2/3 innings. The two-time All-Star has fanned eight batters in each of his recent wins, allowing him to move 11 strikeouts away from his second straight season with at least 200. Nicholas Castellanos (6-for-12) is one of the few Tigers who has fared well against Severino, who is 3-1 with a 2.19 ERA in four career starts versus Detroit.

WALK-OFFS

1. Stanton reached 300 career homers in his 1,119th career game on Thursday, becoming the fifth-quickest player to hit the plateau in major-league history.

2. Detroit DH Victor Martinez on Thursday registered his first multi-homer performance since July 21, 2017 by belting a pair of shots.

3. New York 2B Gleyber Torres has reached base 11 times in his last four contests and is batting .400 over his last 14 games.

PREDICTION: Yankees 6, Tigers 2