Los Angeles Angels left-hander Reid Detmers made history in his most recent start, no-hitting the Tampa Bay Rays in a 12-0 victory.

Meanwhile, Texas Rangers left-hander Taylor Hearn made quick work of the Kansas City Royals in his last outing, allowing one hit in five shutout innings in a 3-1 victory.

Hits may be hard to come by on Tuesday night when the two southpaws are matched up in the second of three games between the Angels and host Rangers.

There was plenty of offense in the series opener on Monday night, especially early, in the Rangers’ 7-4 win. The teams combined for 17 hits.

In Game 2 on Tuesday, there will be plenty of focus on Detmers (2-1, 3.77 ERA). The lefty has not allowed many hits all season, period. In six starts, the 22-year-old averages 5.2 hits per nine innings. What makes Detmers interesting is the fact he’s not overpowering. He doesn’t strike out many, either, posting a ratio of 5.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

In no-hitting the Rays last Tuesday at home, Detmers struck out just two, with one walk.

His gem earned him American League Player of the Week honors. He’s also the 25th rookie with eligibility remaining to throw a no-hitter. He also posted the 12th no-hitter in the Angels’ history.

“It validates what you’re doing,” Angels manager Joe Maddon said. “It could bolster his confidence even more.”

The fact he had so much run support allowed Detmers to pitch without much pressure, aside from chasing history.

“I just blacked out,” he said on the field after recording the final out. “It’s something I have always dreamed of. I can’t even process it right now.”

For the season, Detmers has allowed just 18 hits. He’s been especially tough on left-handed hitters, who are 1-for-26 (.038) against him. Right-handers are batting .205 in 92 plate appearances.

Repeating history will be a tall task. The only pitcher in major-league history to record no-hitters in consecutive starts is Johnny Vander Meer, in June of 1938.

Hearn’s heroics from his previous start are less celebrated in terms of MLB history. Yet his five innings of work in a win over the Royals was significant to the Rangers because Texas is in a stretch where its starting pitching has been taxed.

Hearn took the mound on Thursday. It was his first start in 11 days, and the club didn’t know what to expect. The 27-year-old stepped up, striking out five while walking three. The lone hit he allowed was an infield single by Michael A. Taylor that deflected off Hearn’s leg.

“We weren’t sure how he was going to respond after being out so long,” Rangers manager Chris Woodward said.

This won’t be the first time Detmers faces the Rangers this season. In his first meeting, a no-decision on April 15, he was tagged for five earned runs on six hits in 3 1/3 innings.

Hearn faced the Angels on April 16 on the road, and suffered the loss, giving up three runs on six hits in 3 2/3 innings.

In his career, Hearn is 1-2 with a 5.25 ERA in 24 innings against the Angels.

Angels first baseman Jared Walsh singled in the fourth inning on Monday night, extending his streak to 26 straight games with at least one hit against the Rangers.

— Field Level Media

The Chicago Cubs are off to a rough start this season, but Willson Contreras remains a consistent bright spot.

Contreras and the Cubs will look to extend their season-high winning streak to four games when they play the middle contest of a three-game home set against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night.

Chicago ranks in the bottom half of the majors in runs (139) and slugging percentage (.366) after losing 20 of its first 34 contests. However, Contreras, a veteran catcher who has benefited from the NL’s inclusion of the designated hitter, is batting .283 and slugging .509 with five homers and 14 RBIs.

He is 13-for-31 (.419) with three home runs and seven RBIs over his past nine games.

“The main thing for me that I’ve seen with Willson is just a steady attitude this year,” Cubs manager David Ross said.

Contreras’ 100th career homer, a grand slam that highlighted an eight-run first inning Monday night, helped Chicago rout the Pirates 9-0. The result gave the Cubs their first three-game winning streak of the season and snapped their six-game home skid.

“Willson has been a big part of our success for a little bit here,” Ross said. “He’s been a part of a lot of winning here because he’s a special player.”

Contreras also has fared well against the Pirates this year, batting .357 (10-for-28) with two homers, three doubles and eight RBIs in seven games. He is a .300 career hitter vs. Pittsburgh’s scheduled Tuesday starter, JT Brubaker.

After the Cubs rocked Dillon Peters for five runs in two-thirds of an inning on Monday, Brubaker (0-3, 5.34 ERA) will try for an eighth time to record his first win of 2022. The right-hander has not completed more than five innings in any outing.

However, Brubaker allowed two or fewer earned runs in four of his last five starts after yielding eight over the first two. He gave up two runs, four hits and two walks while striking out three in five innings during a 4-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday.

Brubaker is 2-1 with a 2.77 ERA in six career outings (five starts) against the Cubs. He allowed two runs, one earned, while walking two and striking out four in three innings during Pittsburgh’s 4-3 win at Chicago on April 24.

Chicago’s Ian Happ, who had three hits and an RBI on Monday, is a .308 lifetime hitter vs. Brubaker. Teammates Rafael Ortega and Frank Schwindel are a combined 5-for-8 against him.

While the Pirates, 4-3 vs. Chicago in 2022, will seek a strong effort from Brubaker, they must see some offensive improvement after totaling six runs while being shut out twice in the past five games. Amazingly, they won twice in that span — including while getting no-hit by the Reds on Sunday.

Pittsburgh managed only three hits on Monday. Ke’Bryan Hayes is 0-for-11 in the past three games, and Bryan Reynolds 0-for-18 in the past five.

“When you have guys in the middle of the order (where) it’s that drastic, then it really stands out,” Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton said.

Reynolds, though, is 2-for-3 against Chicago’s Keegan Thompson (2-0, 1.67 ERA), who is slated to make a second consecutive start on Tuesday. One of the Cubs’ top relievers through early May, the right-hander made his first 2022 start on Wednesday at San Diego, where he allowed two runs and five hits over four innings.

Thompson threw four scoreless innings against the Pirates on April 22. He is 1-0 with a 2.61 ERA in four career appearances (one start) vs. Pittsburgh.

–Field Level Media

Adrian Houser will look to continue a string of impressive Milwaukee starts as the Brewers clash with the visiting Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night in the second game of a three-game series.

Milwaukee earned a 1-0 win Monday in the series opener behind seven shutout innings from Freddy Peralta. The right-hander registered a season-high 10 strikeouts and allowed just two hits and one walk.

“We pitched really well tonight,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “Freddy was great tonight. I thought he just got locked in and it was really, for seven innings, it was even, smooth, he didn’t get into trouble.”

Peralta’s impressive outing came after Brandon Woodruff allowed just one earned run in five innings against the Miami Marlins on Sunday. Woodruff also yielded two unearned runs, but he emerged with a 7-3 victory.

Thanks in large part to their starters, the Brewers have won three of their past four games. Milwaukee also is riding a four-game home winning streak.

Houser (3-3, 3.86 ERA) has the chance to keep momentum trending in the right direction, and he will look to bounce back from a pair of rough outings.

He has pitched to a 7.00 ERA over his past two starts, both of which came against the Cincinnati Reds. Houser allowed 13 hits across nine innings while walking five and striking out nine, earning one win and taking one loss.

The lineup behind him on Tuesday won’t include Andrew McCutchen, who is on the COVID-19 injured list, and it likely will be missing Willy Adames, who left the Sunday game with an ankle injury and didn’t play Monday.

Counsell said Adames might end up on the IL.

For the Braves, Ronald Acuna Jr. likely will be back in action on Tuesday after missing the past five games because of a groin injury. His offense would be greatly appreciated after Monday’s performance.

Atlanta’s offense never got going, managing just two hits. The last 17 Braves hitters were retired in order, and the bottom five batters in the lineup combined to go 0-for-15 with 11 strikeouts.

“Peralta was just spot on,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “I mean, just go back and look at some of the at-bats, and he was just painting the black, and the stuff was good.

“You know you’re going to get good pitching the whole series when you come in here and play these guys.”

While Acuna is still working on getting back up to speed following his return from last season’s torn ACL, he has been productive while active. He is hitting .282 with two home runs and five RBIs through 10 games.

Left-hander Tucker Davidson (0-0, 16.88 ERA) will get the nod for the Braves on Tuesday in what will be his first start of the season.

In his lone major-league appearance this year, Davidson pitched 2 2/3 innings in relief against the Washington Nationals on April 11. He allowed five runs on five hits and two walks while striking out two.

Injuries have dealt a heavy blow to Atlanta’s pitching staff, as starter Mike Sororka and relievers Jay Jackson, Luke Jackson, Kirby Yates and Tyler Matzek are all out.

The Braves have lost three of their past four games and are 2-4 on the road in May.

–Field Level Media

The Boston Red Sox will look to make it back-to-back wins and four out of five when their three-game rematch of last year’s American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros continues on Tuesday night in Boston.

Houston reliever Hector Neris had made 10 consecutive scoreless appearances before he was tagged for three runs in the eighth inning Monday during Boston’s 6-3, series-opening win.

Prior to Monday, Houston had lost just once in a 13-game span. Meanwhile, Boston was coming off a 7-1 loss at Texas after beating the Rangers in back-to-back contests.

“It was big. They’ve been hot and we kind of haven’t,” Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez told NESN following the win over the Astros. “Coming off a good series against Texas, playing against (Houston), we all remember what happened last year. Every time we play them, there’s a little more energy.”

Martinez and Enrique Hernandez each went 2-for-4 while Trevor Story and Xander Bogaerts homered for Boston.

“It seems like he’s seeing the ball well,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Martinez, who extended his hit streak to 17 games. “It started with the walks, and now he’s doing damage.”

Boston’s Nathan Eovaldi (1-1, 3.15 ERA) has pitched well all season, allowing three runs or less in all seven starts. However, the right-hander will look for his first win since April 13 when he takes the mound on Tuesday night.

Four of Eovaldi’s five starts since then have been no-decisions, including his outing at Atlanta on Wednesday during which he struck out six Braves over 6 1/3 innings of three-run ball.

Eovaldi’s 40 innings this season lead the Boston staff.

“I definitely take a lot of pride in (going deep into games),” Eovaldi recently told the Eagle-Tribune of North Andover, Mass. “I think that’s every starter’s goal, to go out there and go nine innings. I know there’s the stats the third time through the lineup how much better the batters are handling you. I think it helps that I have the five pitches that I can keep circulating through and keep them off balance.”

Eovaldi is 1-2 with a 3.93 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 36 2/3 innings over six career regular-season starts against the Astros. He is 2-2 with a 5.09 ERA in five career postseason outings (three starts) vs. Houston.

The Astros hope to have rookie shortstop Jeremy Pena — who grew up in Rhode Island and played at the University of Maine — back in the lineup before leaving Fenway Park on Wednesday.

Pena hasn’t played since Thursday due to a sore knee, but he worked out in front of coaches and trainers before the series opener in Boston.

“His mom put a little pressure on me,” Houston manager Dusty Baker said before Monday’s game. “His mom asked me, ‘Is Jeremy going to play today? Because we have 1,000 people coming from Rhode Island.'”

Mauricio Dubon, acquired in a Saturday trade to add to the team’s depth, filled in at shortstop for Houston the past two days. He logged his first hit as an Astro on Monday.

Jose Urquidy (2-1, 4.40 ERA) will start for Houston on Tuesday after consecutive no-decisions against the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers. However, he allowed just one run overall in nine innings during those outings.

Urquidy, a right-hander, worked six scoreless innings on May 5 against the Tigers before his Wednesday start was suspended due to severe thunderstorms that arrived in Minneapolis.

Urquidy’s first and only career start against the Red Sox came on May 31, 2021. He fanned nine Boston batters in six innings of three-hit, one-run ball, and he emerged with a win.

–Field Level Media

The Toronto Blue Jays will try to end a stretch of four consecutive series losses Tuesday night when they start right-hander Jose Berrios against the visiting Seattle Mariners.

Berrios (2-2, 5.82 ERA) will be going for his first win of the month when he faces Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert (4-1, 2.13).

The Blue Jays won the opener of the three-game series 6-2 on Monday night behind six scoreless innings from Yusei Kikuchi, a former Mariner, and solo home runs by Bo Bichette and Matt Chapman.

Kikuchi, who left the Mariners to sign with the Blue Jays as a free agent in the offseason, allowed one hit and three walks while striking out six.

“We’ve seen Yusei a lot, and he got good results,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said postgame. “He was an All-Star last year. He’s a good pitcher. He’s got good stuff. He had a good night tonight. He threw strikes when he needed to throw strikes.

“He’s got good stuff. There’s never been a question with that. We just couldn’t get much pressure or get much going against him.”

Berrios is 0-2 with a 9.90 ERA in two starts in May, giving up 11 earned runs on 13 hits in 10 innings. His last win came on April 30 against the Houston Astros.

Berrios faced Seattle once last season when he was with the Minnesota Twins. He allowed two runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings to earn the win. In six career starts against Seattle, he is 2-2 with a 3.89 ERA.

Three of Toronto’s run of series losses came on a 2-7 road trip that ended Sunday with a 3-0 defeat against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Mariners are 2-2 to open their 10-game road trip. They won two of three from the New York Mets to earn their first road series win of the season. They finish the trip with four games against the Boston Red Sox.

Gilbert has made one career start against Toronto, when he allowed five runs and eight hits in four innings to post a loss on Aug. 15.

Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo changed his struggling lineup for the last two games against the Rays, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. batting second, Teoscar Hernandez third and Bichette fourth. He returned Bichette to second, Guerrero to third and Hernandez to fourth on Monday.

“At the end of the day, when it comes right down to it, and I’ve said this before, it’s about someone getting hot,” Montoyo said. “It doesn’t matter where you put people … as long as someone gets hot and it spreads and takes pressure off other people.”

Bichette had three hits and two RBIs on Monday. Guerrero extended his quiet hitting streak to 13 games with a single on Monday. During that span, he is 14-for-48 (.292) with two doubles, one homer and four RBIs.

Seattle’s Eugenio Suarez hit his team-leading seventh home run in the seventh inning Monday. It was the 200th homer of his career.

Toronto put left-handed reliever Tim Mayza (left forearm inflammation) on the injured list Monday and recalled left-hander Andrew Vasquez from Triple-A Buffalo. Toronto also reinstated Cavan Biggio from the COVID-related injured list and optioned him to Buffalo.

Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano was not available to pitch Monday because of what Montoyo termed a non-COVID illness.

Seattle placed right-handed reliever Drew Steckenrider on the restricted list and purchased the contract of left-hander Roenis Elias from Triple-A Tacoma.

Mariners left-hander Robbie Ray, who won the American League Cy Young Award with the Blue Jays last season, did not make the trip to Toronto, either.

–Field Level Media

It never rains in California, or so it is said, which means that Tuesday’s doubleheader between the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers is a rarity for Dodger Stadium.

It will be the ballpark’s first “scheduled” doubleheader since Sept. 17, 1987, when the Dodgers opposed the Cincinnati Reds. That one came about so the Dodgers could leave an open date on Sept. 16 for a visit from Pope John Paul II.

The last makeup-game doubleheader at Dodger Stadium was on July 22, 1999, against the Colorado Rockies, but two games in one day at the third-oldest major league ballpark in baseball is rare as a wide-open 405 freeway.

Injuries to Dodgers left-handers Andrew Heaney (shoulder) and Clayton Kershaw (back) have left the club scrambling with its rotation. Los Angeles gave right-hander Michael Grove his first major league start Saturday and didn’t confirm its doubleheader starters until after beating the Diamondbacks 5-4 on Monday.

Expected to start Game 1 is right-hander Ryan Pepiot (0-0, 0.00 ERA), who made his own major league debut at Pittsburgh on Wednesday and pitched three scoreless innings despite allowing five walks.

Dodgers left-hander Tyler Anderson (3-0, 4.40 ERA) is expected to start Game 2. In 14 career appearances (12 starts) against the Diamondbacks, Anderson is 3-3 with a 5.96 ERA.

The Diamondbacks are expected to start left-hander Tyler Gilbert (0-1, 3.91 ERA) in the first game and have right-hander Merrill Kelly (3-1, 1.71) take the second game.

Gilbert, who has made just 11 career appearances, pitched in his only two major league games of the season in April. One of them was a three-inning relief appearance against the Dodgers on April 25, when he gave up one run on two hits.

Kelly is 0-5 with a 4.57 ERA in eight lifetime starts against Los Angeles. He lost to the Dodgers in the April 25 game, when Gilbert took over for him after Kelly gave up three runs in six innings.

In the opener of the four-game series on Monday, the Diamondbacks scored the first two runs, one on a home run from Christian Walker, before the Dodgers rallied for five consecutive runs, two on a homer from Chris Taylor.

Arizona made it close on a two-run home run in the ninth inning from David Peralta before Dodgers closer Craig Kimbrel finished off his sixth save in six chances.

The Diamondbacks were without shortstop Nick Ahmed, who was placed on the injured list for undisclosed reasons. He missed two weeks at the start of the season due to shoulder soreness.

“His shoulder is feeling fine,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said, according to the Arizona Republic. “He has been managing (the shoulder) and he’s been doing a really good job of being open and honest with me and the medical team and letting us know when he needs a little bit of a break. Those things are hard to manage.”

The Dodgers also won the opener during an April series at Arizona, but the Diamondbacks came back to win the final two games of the set.

“Just getting that first win of the series (is big),” Taylor said on the SportsNet L.A. broadcast. “They have been playing really good baseball. Obviously, they beat us at their place when they took two of three. To get the first one and to get the momentum on our side was big.”

–Field Level Media

When the Washington Nationals visit the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night for the middle contest of their three-game series, the starting pitchers provide an interesting contrast.

Miami right-hander Cody Poteet broke into the major leagues last year and has made 15 appearances.

Washington right-hander Joan Adon arrived in the major leagues last year and has made eight appearances.

Pretty similar, right?

There are a couple of significant differences, however.

Poteet (0-0, 0.55 ERA) is 27 and was certainly not rushed to the majors. After posting a 4.99 ERA in seven starts last season, he has appeared solely in relief this year, earning his first start of the campaign on Tuesday.

He has faced the Nationals once previously, when he took a loss last June 24 after allowing five runs in three innings.

Adon, a 23-year-old who has never faced the Marlins, is an unimpressive 1-6 with a 7.03 ERA this year.

With Max Scherzer now with the New York Mets and Stephen Strasburg and Joe Ross on the injured list, Adon is taking regular turns in the Washington rotation, even though he may be better off gaining more experience in the minors.

Adon, signed for just $50,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2016, started last year in Class-A and rose all the way up to the majors.

He has elite-level stuff, including a fastball that averages 95 mph. However, he has battled control issues throughout his pro career.

As for Poteet, Marlins manager Don Mattingly said he “seems like the right guy” to take the rotation spot vacated by injured left-hander Jesus Luzardo.

“He’s been built up to at least go out there and compete,” Mattingly said of Poteet, a San Diego native. “We’re not looking for seven innings or anything like that, but we think he can get us into the game.”

On offense, the Marlins benched a couple of slumping players — center fielder Jesus Sanchez and shortstop Miguel Rojas — on Monday, and the squad responded with a season-high 16 hits in an 8-2 win over Washington.

Sanchez is hitting .207 overall, including .089 with no RBIs in May. Rojas is batting .190 overall.

Mattingly, asked about Sanchez, said he still has confidence in the 24-year-old who hit 14 homers in 64 games last year.

“He needed a reset day,” Mattingly said. “It was good for him to work (in the batting cage) and not have to take it on the field for four at-bats.”

Washington, which has yet to win more than two consecutive games this season, enters Tuesday with nine losses in its past 12 games. Still, Nationals manager Dave Martinez maintains confidence in his club.

“I’ve seen signs that this team is good, and I really believe we’re going to be good,” Martinez said after the Nationals managed just five hits on Monday. “We’re going through a stretch now when we’re facing some pretty good pitching, but we can’t beat ourselves.

“We have to start from the first inning, first batter. Try to score early and go from there.”

–Field Level Media

The New York Yankees will look to maintain their hot streak when they continue a four-game series against the host Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday after cruising to a 6-2 victory in Monday’s opener.

The Yankees, who are a major-league-best 26-9, have won 21 of their past 25 games after defeating the Orioles for the fifth time in the teams’ seven meetings this season on Monday.

The Orioles have dropped four straight games following a stretch in which they won six of eight games.

The Yankees will turn Tuesday to right-hander Jameson Taillon (3-1, 2.93 ERA), who has won his past two starts. Taillon beat Toronto twice earlier this month, collectively allowing three runs on 11 hits to go along with eight strikeouts and a walk in 11 1/3 innings.

Taillon, however, is winless in four starts all-time against the Orioles, including two this year. He gave up two runs on three hits in 4 2/3 innings in a no-decision on April 16 before yielding two runs on seven hits during another no-decision on April 28. Baltimore won both games.

The Orioles will counter with right-hander Spenser Watkins (0-1, 5.19 ERA), who got rocked in his last start. He gave up seven runs on eight hits in just 3 2/3 innings of a 10-1 road loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday.

“It’s always a drive as a starting pitcher to give your bullpen a rest and give your team a chance to win and go deep in the game,” Watkins said. “I try not to let that cloud my thought process because you add more into your loop. It would have been nice to go long, but I’ll give the team what I can.”

Watkins, who has yet to pitch more than five innings in any of his six starts this season, has made one appearance against the Yankees in his career. He came in as a reliever and allowed two runs and three hits in two innings during Baltimore’s 7-2 loss to New York on Sept. 14, 2021.

New York manager Aaron Boone gave Aaron Judge the day off on Monday, marking the first time he didn’t start during the Yankees’ 23-game-in-22-day stretch that began on May 8. In the past nine games over the past eight days, Judge went 10-for-33 with three homers, eight RBIs and six walks.

“I think they could all use one (day off) during this stretch,” Boone said. “Especially the guys we depend on. Hopefully it serves him well.”

The Yankees had no trouble in the series opener.

After taking a 1-0 lead on Giancarlo Stanton’s double that scored Anthony Rizzo in the third inning, Jose Trevino provided the big blow an inning later with a three-run homer.

After Gleyber Torres singled to left, Joey Gallo struck out before Torres took second on Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s infield single to shortstop. Two pitches later, Trevino drilled rookie right-hander Kyle Bradish’s fastball off the right field foul pole to extend the lead to 4-0.

The Orioles pulled within 4-1 on the first of Anthony Santander’s two solo home runs, as he hit one to right field as a left-handed hitter in the fourth before clearing the left field fence as a right-handed hitter in the ninth.

New York’s Josh Donaldson and Rizzo hit back-to-back solo homers in the ninth inning.

Luis Severino (3-0) allowed a run on one hit to go along with seven strikeouts against just two walks in six innings to beat the Orioles for the second time this season.

–Field Level Media

The condensed schedule, caused by the late start to spring training and the regular season, has led to day-night doubleheaders such as the one facing the Chicago White Sox and the host Kansas City Royals on Tuesday.

The White Sox won the series opener 5-3 in 10 innings Monday night on Luis Robert’s two-out, two-run home run. The visitors took a 3-0 lead to the eighth, but the Royals tied it on a two-run double by Whit Merrifield and an RBI single by Andrew Benintendi before Robert’s heroics.

Chicago will send Dylan Cease (3-1, 3.55 ERA) to the mound in the first game Tuesday, and the White Sox planned to wait until after that game to determine who would get the ball for the nightcap. Manager Tony La Russa said it’s possible that Lucas Giolito (2-1, 2.70) could return from the COVID injured list, but that was to be determined.

The Royals will have Jonathan Heasley (0-1, 2.70 ERA) pitch the first game, while Brady Singer (0-0, 6.35) will pitch the nightcap.

The twin bill is part of a five-game series that will stretch both clubs’ rosters.

“If there were five days (to play the five games), that would be one thing,” La Russa said. “If you had a little break before or after it would be another thing. But it’s the same thing for them. They just had a series in Colorado, and they’ve got another series coming this weekend.

“It’s a lot of games. We’re all protecting our staffs, and we don’t have a lot of extra players. There will be a bunch of guys who play both games (Tuesday). You have to figure out who needs a break.”

La Russa said that Giolito would pitch in the series, it’s just a question of Tuesday or Wednesday.

“The good part of it is that all the signs are looking up on Gio,” the manager said. “We’re going to wait and see. There’s enough going on with the game we’re playing (Monday) and the first game (Tuesday).”

Cease, who is 3-2 with a 2.96 ERA in 10 career starts against the Royals, has been hot and cold this season. He has yielded 15 runs total in his seven starts, but 10 of them came in two outings.

The right-hander gave up six runs in four innings during a no-decision against the New York Yankees on Thursday in his latest start.

Heasley has not faced the White Sox in his brief career. He will be making his second appearance of the season Tuesday, after taking a 3-1 loss in a start at Texas on Thursday. Heasley allowed one run on four hits with one strikeout in 3 1/3 innings. Four walks, and no offensive support, did him in.

Singer, who is due to be recalled from Triple-A Omaha for the start, needs to find the form that made him one of the Royals’ top pitching prospects. He made just three outings, all in relief, before being sent to the minors on April 28.

“I’m excited to get him out there,” Kansas City manager Mike Matheny said. “We know he’s a big part of this organization. It’s good to see that he had a couple of good outings (with Omaha). He got work, and he wasn’t getting work here.

“To be honest, how we’ve had to work our staff, and our ‘pen especially, we need our starters to take the ball and go. We’re not trying to put extra pressure on them. That’s what we want every single night. But I know that’s what Brady wants to do and I know that’s what Jonathan wants to do.

“We’re in a long stretch of games with a doubleheader right in the middle of it. It puts a lot of pressure on us to pound the zone and make quality pitches.”

The White Sox have won two of their past three games while the Royals have lost six of nine.

–Field Level Media

The suddenly hot Detroit Tigers will seek their fifth straight win Tuesday night when they face the Tampa Bay Rays in the middle contest of a three-game series at St. Petersburg, Fla.

Harold Castro provided the late fireworks Monday night in the series opener, homering off All-Star reliever Andrew Kittredge with two outs in the ninth. His solo shot gave Detroit a 3-2 win.

Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash was disappointed in the lack of offensive production against Detroit’s Alex Faedo in his third career start. The right-hander limited the Rays to a run on four hits in 5 2/3 innings.

“We’ve got to do a little bit more offensively early in the ballgame,” Cash said. “We’re just not getting it done to the point we’re capable of.”

Cash will also be without one of his best power hitters this week.

Curiously left out of the Tampa Bay order for the third time in five games when the lineups were revealed Monday afternoon, Brandon Lowe was soon placed on the 10-day injured list due to lower back discomfort.

The team recalled former Detroit infielder Isaac Paredes from Triple-A Durham to fill the fifth-year veteran’s spot on the roster.

A 2019 All-Star, Lowe has gotten off to a slow start. The lefty hitter is batting .212 with two triples, five homers and 12 RBIs in 32 games.

The Tigers, coming off a weekend sweep of the Baltimore Orioles and already a game up in the current series, Detroit will hand the ball to Beau Brieske (0-2, 3.86 ERA) on Tuesday.

While the right-hander’s numbers have been mostly good across four starts, the rookie hurler needs to improve in two areas of control — finding the strike zone and keeping the ball in the yard.

However, in a 93-pitch outing against the Oakland A’s on Thursday, he tossed six innings and for the first time didn’t allow a homer in a start.

After the A’s scored three runs (two earned) against Brieske in the first inning, he settled in and strung together five scoreless frames in his longest outing of his career, though the Tigers lost 5-3.

“I did love the fact that he came back and battled and got us deeper into the game,” Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said. “Not only did he stay in the game, he kept us in the game and pitched very effectively afterward. That’s encouraging.”

Brieske will oppose Tampa Bay for the first time.

Detroit is down two outfielders, as former Rays player Austin Meadows (vertigo) and Victor Reyes (right quad strain) were removed from the Sunday game and placed on the IL.

The club recalled Faedo and outfielder Daz Cameron from Triple-A Toledo to fill the spots.

Tampa Bay’s Shane McClanahan (2-2, 2.52 ERA) will look to continue a strong month when he starts on Tuesday. In two trips to the mound during May, he is 1-0 with a 1.46 ERA over 12 1/3 innings. He has allowed only six hits — a .143 batting average — and two runs while striking out 16 and walking three.

Against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday, the left-hander held the home side scoreless over seven inning and matched a career high with 11 strikeouts.

In his lone appearance against Detroit, last Sept. 19, McClanahan allowed just one run — a homer to Eric Haase — in five innings but was saddled with the defeat as the Rays dropped a 2-0 decision at home.

–Field Level Media