Few noticed when the Detroit Tigers claimed utility player Brandon Dixon off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds in November.
The way Dixon has been stroking the ball lately, he's been difficult to ignore.
Dixon has given the Tigers an unexpected jolt since being recalled from Triple-A Toledo, batting .317 with three homers and 11 RBI in 15 games.
He'll see plenty of action of during the Tigers' upcoming 10-game homestand, which begins Monday night against the Houston Astros. Detroit will play three against the Astros, four against Oakland and three against Miami.
Dixon has five hits, including two homers, in his last three games. He hit a solo homer on Sunday as the Tigers salvaged a split of a four-game series in Minnesota with a 5-3 win.
"It feels good to just help the team, to go out there when you get chances and produce," Dixon said. "That's the main thing. It's been a lot of fun."
Nicholas Castellanos also homered for the Tigers. They've blasted seven over the fence in the last three games.
"I'd still like to put up 10 runs and not have these two-run games and one-run games all the time," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "I hope when the weather gets better, we'll put up some better swings. We did early today."
Second baseman Josh Harrison could provide another boost. He was activated from the 10-day injured list after Sunday's game after recovering from a left shoulder contusion.
The Tigers will go with their ace, left-hander Matthew Boyd, in the series opener. Boyd (4-2, 2.86 ERA) has posted seven consecutive quality starts, lasting at least six innings and allowing no more than three runs. He's 4-1 with a 2.58 ERA during that span
In his last outing on Wednesday, Boyd limited the Los Angeles Angels to one run on three hits in six innings while striking out six.
He's 2-0 with a 5.71 ERA in three career starts against the Astros.
The Astros will counter with right-hander Brad Peacock (3-2, 4.30). Peacock delivered a stellar performance against Kansas City on Wednesday, tossing seven scoreless innings and striking out 12.
Peacock decided to pitch out of a full delivery for the first time in three seasons and it paid off.
"What I was doing wasn't working too well and I had to make a change," Peacock told MLB.com. "I felt really good (Wednesday). I felt like I was able to get some rhythm out there and throw my stuff for strikes."
He has made five appearances against Detroit in his career, posting a 1-1 record and 2.38 ERA.
Detroit fans won't get a chance to watch perennial All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve. The Astros placed him on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain.
While the strain appears to be mild, the Astros took the cautious approach.
"When you have these three-, five-, seven-day injuries, they always last longer than you think," manager A.J. Hinch told MLB.com. "These quads and hammies and calves, as soon as you think it's four or five days, you probably should err on the side of caution and put them on the injured list and play with a full team."
Houston's offense didn't miss Altuve on Sunday. The top two hitters in the lineup, George Springer and Alex Bregman, combined for seven runs, eight hits and nine RBI as the Astros pounded Texas 15-5.
--Field Level Media