Detroit will try to build off its win over the Angels when it faces Kansas City in a series opener on Friday night. The Tigers were on a four-game losing streak before picking up a 5-4 win over Los Angeles on Wednesday. Kansas City is coming off a win as well after beating Cleveland on Wednesday—the Tigers and Royals both had the day off on Thursday.
Detroit was a competitive during first few months of the season, but it has been consistently losing games since then. The Tigers have not strung together a three-game winning streak since before the All-Star break, and they have only won two straight games on three occasions. They were swept by Seattle last week before losing two out of three against Kansas City last weekend. Detroit lost the first two games of its series against the Angels before bouncing back with a 5-4 win to close the series on Wednesday. The Tigers are on a six-game road trip that will conclude on Sunday afternoon. They are two games ahead of Oakland for the worst record in the American League, and they will likely be officially eliminated from the playoffs within the next two days.
Eric Haase had never had a 4-hit game.
So he went ahead and had a 5-hit game. pic.twitter.com/AbWqWES Npz
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) September 8, 2022
The Tigers have not been a great offensive team this season, ranked No. 26 in team batting average (.229). Shortstop Javy Baez leads the way with 107 hits, including 12 home runs. Detroit is playing without second baseman Jonathan Schoop (ankle) and right fielder Austin Meadows (Achilles). They are facing a Kansas City pitching staff that is No. 26 with an ERA of 4.68. Left-handed pitcher Joey Wentz is going to be on the mound for Detroit in this game. He is being called up from Triple-A Toledo to make this start after posting a 1.25 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in his last five starts in the minors. He spent several months on the injured list due to a left shoulder injury.