"There I go http://www.diamondbacksfanproshop.com/authentic-zack-greinke-jersey , turn the page.""My profile says thatHuh. That’s Valentine’s Day. If I could have a Facebook description of my life on my profile, it would be set to “It’s complicated.” Since college, I feel I’ve been stuck in a seemingly eternal battle between my loves of education and baseball. About 10 years ago, my close friends were a bit surprised when I announced I wanted to be a teacher, but that’s because I saw the long road ahead with baseball. I still tried, though. I first started my own blog Off The Mark in October 2009. A couple years later, I parlayed that into my current gig here at Twinkie Town thanks to our former overlord Jesse. Twinkie Town led to recording data from major league games for Inside Edge in 2015, and then I attempted to get a more prominent baseball job at the 2015 Winter Meetings. Here’s the thing, though, the Winter Meetings are not meant for shy introverts. I walked in with four interviews and left with opportunities with the Tampa Bay Rays and MLB Network. Ultimately, neither came to fruition. Stuck at a crossroads, I reevaluated what to do with my life. I determined that while baseball was what I loved the most, teaching was the more rewarding, fulfilling, and financially stable job available for me. Admittedly, I started at Twinkie Town with an ulterior motive of it being a springboard for something bigger. Today, I see that I’ve been writing here weekly for just shy of six years.I feel awful to be walking away right after Maija/myjah and Stu announced their departures http://www.diamondbacksfanproshop.com/authentic-zack-greinke-jersey , but I cannot stress enough that this is pure coincidence. Since rededicating myself to teaching, I knew that I would have to start a masters degree someday. Well, that day is today, or more specifically next week. To be honest, I’ve felt burnt out as a writer for a long time now. I can’t count how many times I either mailed in an article despite knowing it wasn’t my best work, or I got to Tuesday night and thought, “#%$!, I haven’t written my article yet!” Writing at least once a week for the past nine years through primarily losing seasons can do that to a person. In theory, I could juggle all my obligations at once, but I’ve learned throughout the years that I don’t handle stress well. Thus, I’ve been in the process of clearing my plate, which means I notified Inside Edge of my intentions of moving on as well. For the next couple years, my focus will be purely on teaching and grad school with nothing else to cause me worry. In theory, at least.It’s time for the expressions of gratitude. Thank you to Jesse for giving me the opportunity to write at Twinkie Town. Thank you to myjah for all of her coaching, I feel I’m now an expert at SEO. But most of all, thank you TT readers for your time over the past six years. It’s going to be hard to see breaking news and resist the urge to pound out a couple paragraphs in 15 minutes.Now if you’ll excuse me, I just bought MLB ‘18: The Show for PS4 as a personal Christmas gift. I’m off to do as much player editing as I can before all my free time is taken away next week. Pitching was the story on Opening Day, and Friday’s starters will look to replicate their predecessors."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Detroit Tigers AnalysisDetroit Tigers Prospect NotebookDetroit Tigers Game ThreadsDetroit Tigers NewsDetroit Tigers PodcastsDetroit Tigers PreviewsTigers vs. Blue Jays Preview: Matthew Boyd gets the nod as the No. 2 starterNew http://www.diamondbacksfanproshop.com/authentic-zack-greinke-jersey ,16commentsPitching was the story on Opening Day, and Friday’s starters will look to replicate their predecessors.EDTShareTweetShareShareTigers vs. Blue Jays Preview: Matthew Boyd gets the nod as the No. 2 starterKim Klement-USA TODAY SportsIt always feels good to start with a win. The 2019 Detroit Tigers are unlikely to crash any sort of playoff race, but if the team wants to have any sort of playoff hope it needs to start off the season well. Carrying a perfect game into the seventh inning and winning on a homer in extra innings is just about as good of a start as the Tigers could have wanted.The key players on Opening Day were a mix of both old and new. Jordan Zimmermann posted perhaps his best start ever in a Tigers uniform, allowing just one infield hit over seven scoreless innings. Meanwhile, youngster Christin Stewart was the hero, launching a two-run bomb in the top of the 10th to drive home the game’s only runs. For there to be any hope of competing, everyone will have to contribute across the roster.That includes Game 2 starter Matthew Boyd, who is perhaps the most intriguing pitcher in the rotation. Boyd had a modest 4.39 ERA in 31 starts last season, but he was more impressive than the raw numbers may indicate. At 28 years old, and as a host of touted prospects rising through the system, 2019 could be a key year for Boyd and his future with the Tigers. He took plenty of steps forward in his fullest season to date, but he is still far from certain as a long-term piece of the roster.Detroit Tigers (1-0) at Toronto Blue Jays (0-1)Time/Place: 7:07 p.m., Rogers CentreSB Nation site: Bluebird BanterMedia: Fox Sports Detroit, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio NetworkPitching Matchup: LHP Matthew Boyd (9-13, 4.39 ERA) vs. RHP Matt Shoemaker (2-2, 4.94 ERA)Game 2 Pitching MatchupPitcherIPK%BB%FIPfWARPitcherIPK%BB%FIPfWARMatt Shoemaker will be making his first start with the Blue Jays after signing a modest one-year, $3.5 million contract over the offseason. He made just seven starts with the Angels last season after undergoing forearm surgery Andrew Chafin Jersey , and his last two seasons in Los Angeles were a struggle in terms of health. The veteran righthander is just a couple years removed from a 3.88 ERA and 3.52 FIP, but that pitcher may no longer exist after all of the injuries.It was definitely not the largest sample size, but Shoemaker impressed with a 25.4 percent strikeout rate at the end of last season, giving hope for some sort of revitalization. His fastball velocity sat above his career average — around 92.0 miles per hour — and he posted his lowest career contact rate at 72.1 percent. The Tigers struck out 15 times on Thursday and might be vulnerable again.Shoemaker’s peripherals were much more favorable than his 4.94 ERA, and while he may not be an ace, he has the potential to be a very serviceable starter even if he never returns to his pre-injury numbers. Maybe it takes a few starts to get into the full groove, but the Michigan native could be a surprise this season to those who have completely forgotten him.Key matchup: Matthew Boyd vs. the roadPart of the discrepancy between Boyd’s numbers and the overall sentiment of his 2018 season was the stark difference between his performance at home and on the road. Both his ERA (2.63 vs. 5.89) and FIP (3.64 vs. 5.14) were dramatically worse away from Comerica Park, undoubtedly impacted by his elevated fly ball rate last season.Boyd’s 49.9 percent fly ball rate in 2018 was 10 percentage points higher than in 2017, and though his home run to fly ball rate decreased slightly overall, it was dramatically higher on the road at 7.0 percent compared to 15.1 percent at home. This is consistent with his career split of 10.4 percent vs. 14.4 percent. In short, Boyd needs to reduce his fly ball rates to find sustained success. Most ballparks are not as forgiving as Comerica, including Rogers Centre, and the more balls fly he gives up on the road, the more home runs he is likely to concede.PredictionBoyd starts out the year on the right foot, giving up just a pair of runs to earn the win.