Detroit will kick off the second half of its season with a doubleheader in Oakland on Thursday. The Tigers were disastrous prior to the All-Star break, losing eight of their final nine games. Oakland is coming off a rare series win after taking two out of three in Houston last weekend. This story covers the second game of Thursday’s twin bill.
Detroit went on a surprising hot streak earlier this month, winning six consecutive games in a pair of series against the Guardians and White Sox. The Tigers immediately fell back to their losing ways though, dropping eight of their next nine games. Their lone win came in a 7-5 decision against Kansas City last Tuesday. They entered the All-Star break on a four-game skid that was capped with a 10-0 loss to Cleveland on Saturday. Detroit is in fourth place in the American League Central, trailing Minnesota by 12 games. The Tigers are 12.5 games back of the final AL Wild Card spot.
Stare at some All-Stars. #WallpaperWednesday pic.twitter.com/rcazOWxxet
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 20, 2022
They have struggled to get anything going at the plate this year, ranked No. 27 in team batting average (.229). Designated hitter Miguel Cabrera leads the team with 82 hits and 34 RBIs, while second baseman Jonathan Schoop has 70 hits. Shortstop Javier Baez has hit a team-best nine home runs. They will be facing an Oakland pitching staff that is No. 24 with an ERA of 4.34. Detroit is promoting pitcher Garrett Hill from Triple-A Toledo to make a spot start on Thursday. Hill allowed seven earned runs on eight hits and three walks across 11 innings of work before being demoted shortly before the All-Star break.