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Buck Farmer is perhaps the likeliest candidate to make a spot start for the Tigers on Friday.

(Mike Mulholland, MLive)

HOUSTON -- When the Detroit Tigers play the Houston Astros tonight at Minute Maid Park, it will begin a grueling stretch in the midst of an already lengthy road trip.

The Tigers finish a four-game series with the Astros tonight at 8:10 p.m. They'll board a plane for Chicago after midnight and check in to the their hotel in the wee hours of the morning.

After a quick nap, they'll need to leave for Guaranteed Rate Field, where a traditional doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 5:10 p.m. on Friday afternoon. (All times mentioned are Eastern).

That twin bill should end around midnight. After another brief siesta, the Tigers and White Sox meet again on Saturday afternoon at 2:10 p.m.

All told, that makes for four games in a roughly 45-hour span.

The good news is that the Tigers (and White Sox) will be able to add a 26th man to the roster on Friday for the doubleheader.

The Tigers have two long men -- Warwick Saupold and Chad Bell -- in the bullpen, but manager Brad Ausmus strongly suggested neither would start.

Instead, the Tigers will probably bring up a spot starter as their 26th man on Friday. Buck Farmer is scheduled to pitch that day for the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens, so he would make the most sense.

In any case, the Tigers bullpen and four-man bench should see plenty of action in the days to come.

"There will be guys who won't play in both games of the doubleheader Friday and there will be guys who won't play Saturday afternoon," Ausmus said.

The Tigers wrap up their series in Chicago on Sunday afternoon, then fly to Kansas City for the final leg of their road trip.

The Tigers finally fly home on June 1 to begin a month in which they will spend much more time at Comerica Park.

By then the Tigers will have played 20 road games in six cities during the month of May.

"We knew we had a tough schedule," Miguel Cabrera said earlier this month. "We knew May was going to be tough for us. If we can handle May, I think we're going to be OK the rest of the season."