The Detroit Tigers will look to extend their winning streak to five games when they host their American League Central rival, the Kansas City Royals, in the middle contest of a three-game series on Wednesday night.
The Tigers scored twice in the eighth inning to pull out a 2-1 victory in the series opener on Tuesday.
Most of the game featured a pitchers’ duel between Kansas City’s Cole Ragans and Detroit’s Framber Valdez.
Both were out of the game when the Tigers scored their runs.
“Incredible performance on both sides,” Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said. “We couldn’t get anything started against Ragans, and Framber did his part to match him.”
Detroit’s Kenley Jansen, 38, passed Hall of Famer Lee Smith on the all-time saves list and now stands alone in third place (479) after escaping a ninth-inning jam.
“It takes a lot to be in this room in general, and then on top of that to have the longevity and legacy that he has,” Hinch said. “I don’t know how many games he’s pitched that haven’t mattered. He’s at the back end of games that matter, and he’s done it for a really long time. And now he’s third all-time in the entire history of the sport.”
Royals outfielder Isaac Collins departed in the first inning with a right knee contusion. He was injured while trying to catch a foul ball and tumbled into the stands.
“His X-ray was negative,” Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said. “We’ll know more tomorrow and see if we can get the swelling out of there.”
Detroit right-hander Jack Flaherty (0-1, 5.14 ERA) will make his fourth start of the season on Wednesday. He had his best outing on Thursday, limiting Minnesota to one run and five hits in 5 1/3 innings of a no-decision. The Tigers lost 3-1.
“He was mixing all his pitches and getting in the zone,” catcher Jake Rogers said. “When he gets ahead, he’s got a lot of pitches that can get you out. When he’s in the zone and in the zone often, his stuff plays.”
Flaherty settled in after a first-inning double play.
“Getting in a little trouble early got me right,” he said. “I was more in sync working in the stretch. Still too many walks (three) and not in the zone quite enough, but I felt as the game went on, I got better and better… Rog (Rogers) did a really good job of navigating the first couple of innings, and as we got in sync, everything became easier.”
Flaherty is 4-1 with a 2.78 ERA in six career starts against the Royals, and he’ll oppose another veteran right-hander in Seth Lugo (1-1, 1.53) on Wednesday.
In his last start on Thursday, Lugo allowed two runs (one earned) and four hits in 6 1/3 innings in a 2-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox. His control was spotty, as he walked four batters.
“I thought I threw the ball pretty good,” Lugo said. “Too many walks. I want to pitch deeper in the game. So those walks kind of hurt me there, especially toward the end.”
Lugo is 3-3 with a 4.98 ERA in eight career outings against the Tigers.
–Field Level Media
