Battered by injuries and a freezing offense, Detroit enters a high-stakes divisional clash facing a revitalized Chicago lineup. The Tigers must find their spark before the season slips away.
While it may sound overdramatic to say this next sentence that the Tigers are in a must win series against the much improved White Sox, it's true. The injuries, the poor offensive performances continued as Detroit lost to the Angels 7 to 1.
Before the game, Detroit placed closer Kenley Jansen, as he hit the IL with pelvic inflammation after he left the game on Wednesday night after a throwing a pitch.
Detroit managed just three hits, with Wenceel Pérez providing nearly all of the offense. Pérez gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the second inning with his fourth home run of the season.
Jack Flaherty gave Detroit a chance early, striking out the side in the second and keeping the Angels off the board through four innings. But the fifth inning changed the game. Jo Adell opened the inning with a double, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on Sebastián Rivero’s RBI single. Donovan Walton followed with a single, Zach Neto drove in another run with a double and Vaughn Grissom added a sacrifice fly to give Los Angeles a 3-1 lead.
The Tigers had a chance in the eighth after Pérez doubled, Colt Keith walked and Dillon Dingler drew another walk to load the bases. But Riley Greene struck out to end the inning, leaving Detroit to just the one one.
Los Angeles added two runs in the eighth off Ricky Vanasco, then put the game away in the ninth when Mike Trout doubled home two more runs. Trout finished with two doubles, including the 1,800th hit of his career.
The loss sends Detroit into Chicago shorthanded, and struggling to score runs. The Tigers are 4-10 against the AL Central, which includes sweeps by the Twins and Guardians.
The White Sox are not the automatic win they have been in recent years, either. Their offense has taken a real step forward, with Munetaka Murakami giving them a dangerous middle-of-the-order threat who can change a game with one swing, while Miguel Vargas's continued improvement has helped lengthen the lineup and give Chicago another tough at-bat.
Pitching Matchups and where to find the game:
Friday, May 29 — 7:40 p.m. ET RHP Troy Melton (1-0, 1.59) vs. RHP Erick Fedde (0-5, 5.47) Detroit SportsNet / 97.1 FM
Saturday, May 30 — 2:10 p.m. ET LHP Framber Valdez (2-3, 4.28) vs. LHP Anthony Kay (4-1, 3.96) Detroit SportsNet / 97.1 FM
Sunday, May 31 — 2:10 p.m. ET RHP Keider Montero (2-3, 4.09) vs. RHP Sean Burke (2-3, 3.90) Detroit SportsNet / 97.1 FM
As far as other injury news goes, Gleyber Torres and Kerry Carpenter will head to Toledo on Friday.
Carpenter is expected to play in the game for the Mud Hens, while Torres will continue working out there as he builds up his stamina. The hope is that Torres will be ready to appear in a game at some point this weekend.
For a Tigers offense that has been searching for consistency, even the possibility of Carpenter and Torres getting closer to a return is significant. Detroit has been short on impact at-bats, and both players would give the lineup something.
Follow me on "X" @rogcastbaseball and check out the latest episode of the Motor City Metrics podcast and Tigers Minor League Report.
