The Tigers open a three-game interleague series Friday with the Braves at Turner Field with their postseason hopes hanging in the balance.
Both Baltimore and Toronto’s magic number is three, meaning any combination of Detroit losses or wins by those clubs will clinch the final two wild-card spots. The Tigers are 1½ games behind in the wild-card race.
Left-hander Daniel Norris (3-2, 3.59) starts for the Tigers while right-hander Matt Wisler (7-12, 4.86) counters for the Braves.
The last-place Braves will not go idly, Lynn Henning cautions. The NL team has won three straight and features Freddie Freeman, whose league-leading 30-game hitting streak came to end in the team’s 5-2 win over the Phillies Thursday.