The visiting Oakland Athletics will look to collect their fourth victory in an unusual five-game series against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday.

Oakland came to Detroit saddled with a nine-game losing streak, but the A’s have turned things around against the floundering Tigers.

Detroit has lost eight of its past nine.

Athletics right-hander James Kaprielian (0-2, 5.87 ERA) will start the series finale against Tigers right-hander Beau Brieske (0-2, 4.20).

Kaprielian has lost both of his starts this season, most recently taking a tough-luck defeat on Saturday when he lacked run support. Kaprielian allowed just one run on three hits and struck out seven in 5 2/3 innings, but Oakland wound up losing 1-0 to the host Minnesota Twins.

After lasting just two innings in his season debut, Kaprielian threw 99 pitches against the Twins, including 40 sliders.

“The slider definitely played (Saturday),” he said. “You can tell I was probably a little lethargic at the back end of my outing and started leaving stuff arm-side and giving them too good of looks. But happy with it overall, and I will just continue to work on it and get better.”

Kaprielian had the start of his season delayed by a shoulder injury. He walked four batters against the Tampa Bay Rays in his season debut on May 1 but was much sharper the second time around.

“I made some adjustments throughout the week,” Kaprielian said. “Stuff started to play up because of it. I think it was just getting my feet under me a little bit and getting that comfort level back.”

In his lone career outing against Detroit, on Sept. 1, 2021, Kaprielian gave up four runs in four innings, including home runs to Miguel Cabrera and Akil Baddoo.

Brieske will make his fourth career start, pitching at home for the first time since his debut on April 23, when he gave up three runs in five innings to the Colorado Rockies. In his last outing, Brieske once again allowed three runs in five innings, this time to the Houston Astros on Friday.

The long ball has been Brieske’s enemy. He has given up five in 15 innings, though opponents have scored just seven runs overall.

Detroit has struggled to score runs, the main reason it sits at the bottom of the American League standings. The Tigers are averaging a major-league-worst 2.74 runs per game and have hit a big-league-low 12 homers.

Oakland shut them out 9-0 on Wednesday

“We should be better and we will be better,” manager A.J. Hinch said of the offensive malaise.

Detroit rookie first baseman Spencer Torkelson, the top pick in the 2020 draft, has gotten off to a very rough start. He is batting .149. However, the Tigers aren’t ready to send him to the minors for more seasoning.

“Right now, we still feel he’s been competitive,” Hinch said. “He’s helping us with his defense, his attitude has been good, his reactions have been good. … It’s still really early, even though it doesn’t feel like it.”

There are limits to Detroit’s patience. Torkelson is 2-for-38 (.053) over the past 12 games after going 0-for-3 on Wednesday.

“There’s nothing like struggling in the big leagues,” Hinch said. “At the moment, it feels like the worst time of your life. … We’ve got to find that right fine line between pushing him but not accepting the lack of performance.”

–Field Level Media

After finally digging a hole too deep to climb out of Wednesday night, the New York Mets will spend Thursday afternoon trying to avoid an experience they’ve dodged thus far this season — losing a series.

The Mets will look to maintain their unbeaten series record when they visit the Washington Nationals in a matinee finale of a three-game set.

Taijuan Walker (0-0, 4.91 ERA) is slated to start for the Mets against Joan Adon (1-5, 6.99 ERA) in a battle of right-handers.

The Nationals earned an 8-3 win in the middle game of the series Wednesday night, when Juan Soto and Nelson Cruz homered against Tylor Megill to bookend an eight-run outburst over the first two innings.

With memories of a pair of big ninth-inning comebacks still fresh in their minds, the Mets weren’t fazed by the early deficit Tuesday. New York scored five times in the ninth inning to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-2 on April 25, and they stunned the Philadelphia Phillies by scoring seven runs in the ninth — the last four with two outs — in an 8-7 victory on May 5.

However, while New York relievers Trevor Williams and Stephen Nogosek blanked the Nationals over the final 6 2/3 innings, the Mets — who scored all their runs Wednesday in the top of the first — couldn’t get any closer against Aaron Sanchez and a trio of Washington relievers.

The Mets stranded two runners in the seventh, when Starling Marte lined out to leaping second baseman Cesar Hernandez for the final out. In the ninth, the Nationals’ Paolo Espino retired the final three batters after allowing singles to Eduardo Escobar and Jeff McNeil.

The result put New York — which went 8-0-1 in its first nine series — in danger of absorbing a series loss.

“That well is hard to go to every time,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said. “I kept thinking we might get back in it, but we just didn’t string enough together.”

The eight-run outburst against Megill — who had allowed just nine runs in his first six starts combined — continued a season-long all-or-nothing stretch for the Nationals, who have scored six runs or more nine times and two runs or fewer 12 times.

The eight runs in the first two innings were more than the Nationals scored in their previous 22 innings combined dating back to a 7-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday.

“I told the guys: ‘Hey, just chip away,’ ” Nationals manager Davey Martinez said. “‘Just try to score. Come back with a score right away.’ And they scored a lot more. It was awesome.”

The Mets’ comeback against the Phillies spared Walker the loss on May 5, when he gave up seven runs (six earned) over four innings. Adon took a defeat on Friday, when he gave up three runs over five innings as the Nationals fell 3-0 to the Angels.

Walker is 1-1 with a 5.24 ERA in four career starts against the Nationals. Adon made his lone appearance against the Mets on April 9, when he took the loss after allowing four runs over 4 1/3 innings in New York’s 5-0 victory.

–Field Level Media

For his father’s birthday, Bobby Witt Jr. delivered a two-run double and three RBIs on Wednesday for the Kansas City Royals in an 8-2 win against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas.

Whit Merrifield added a home run, three hits and four runs as the Royals snapped a three-game slide. In the ninth inning, pinch hitter Emmanuel Rivera iced the game with a three-run triple.

Kansas City reliever Joel Payamps (1-1) threw three shutout innings, striking out five, to pick up the win.

Kolby Allard (0-2), called up earlier in the day from Triple-A Round Rock, took the loss in relief, allowing one run in three innings.

Corey Seager, who hit two home runs on Tuesday, belted a solo home run for the Rangers in the ninth.

Witt’s first three-RBI game came with his father, Bobby Witt Sr., and other family members, in attendance. Witt Sr. played the majority of his 16-year major league career with the Rangers. He celebrated his 58th birthday on Wednesday.

Witt Jr., 21, hit his two-run double in the fifth inning, giving the Royals a 3-0 lead.

Kansas City grabbed the early edge when Merrifield homered to open the third inning. The drive to left field was his first home run in 255 at-bats, dating back to Aug. 28, 2021.

The lack of the long ball has hurt the Royals, who only have three home runs in May.

In the fifth inning, Michael A. Taylor walked and Merrifield singled. Both raced home on Witt’s one-out double to left.

The Rangers scored in the sixth inning on pinch hitter Brad Miller’s fourth home run.

Witt’s third RBI came in the seventh inning on a check-swing grounder to third. Miller charged and flipped home, but Merrifield slid home safely on the fielder’s choice.

Both teams have dealt with makeup games that required them to play a doubleheader last Sunday, leading them to scramble their rotations. Each team went with an opener on Wednesday.

Kansas City left-hander Gabe Speier retired all six batters he faced, striking out one.

For Texas, Matt Bush tossed a perfect first inning with one whiff before handing the ball off to Allard.

–Field Level Media

A wave of heavy thunderstorms in Minneapolis forced the Wednesday night game between the Houston Astros and the Minnesota Twins to be suspended.

The teams will pick up where they left off, with the Astros leading 5-1 entering the top of the fourth inning, as part of a doubleheader Thursday afternoon. They will play the second game approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.

Before storms arrived Wednesday, prompting tornado sirens to go off near Target Field and across the Twin Cities region, the Astros built a comfortable lead.

Minnesota struck early with an RBI double by Jorge Polanco to drive in Max Kepler in the first.

Houston answered with two runs in the second. Jeremy Pena hit a sacrifice fly to right field to tie the game, and Jose Siri followed with an RBI single to center field.

The Astros added three more runs in the third. Jose Altuve led off the frame with a home run to right field, and Pena added a two-run single later in the inning.

Houston starter Jose Urquidy allowed one run on three hits in three innings before play was suspended. He walked none and struck out three.

Twins starter Chris Archer gave up five runs (four earned) on five hits in three innings. He walked three and struck out two. Yennier Cano was set to replace him on the mound for his major league debut when play was paused.

–Field Level Media

Paul Goldschmidt drove in three runs as the St. Louis Cardinals rolled to a 10-1 victory over the visiting Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday to snap a three-game losing streak.

Goldschmidt went 2-for-3 with double and a walk to extend his on-base streak to 18 games. Brendan Donovan had two doubles, two walks, two RBIs and three runs.

Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas (3-1) worked seven innings and allowed one run on four hits and a walk. He struck out three. Jake Walsh blanked the Orioles over the final two innings in his major league debut.

Orioles starting pitcher Spenser Watkins (0-1) allowed seven runs on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings. He walked two and fanned three.

The Cardinals muscled up in the second inning to take a 3-0 lead. Juan Yepez started the outburst with a solo homer, extending his career-opening hitting streak to seven games.

Doubles by Dylan Carlson, Corey Dickerson and Donovan produced two more runs.

Mikolas retired the first nine batters before the Orioles threatened in the fourth inning. Cedric Mullins hit a leadoff single, then moved to second base on a groundout and third on a flyout.

Third baseman Nolan Arenado robbed Austin Hays of an RBI double with an excellent play on a hard smash down the line, ending the inning.

The Cardinals pushed their lead to 7-0 in the bottom of the frame on a RBI single by Tommy Edman, a two-run double by Goldschmidt and Arenado’s run-scoring double.

The Orioles broke through against Mikolas in the fifth inning when Jorge Mateo reached on a single and raced home on Robinson Chirinos’ pop-fly double to cut the deficit to 7-1.

Goldschmidt’s RBI single in the sixth inning restored the Cardinals’ seven-run lead. In the eighth, run-scoring groundouts by Edman and Kramer Robertson, in his first big league at-bat, made it 10-1.

–Field Level Media

Orlando Arcia hit a two-run walk-off homer to give the Atlanta Braves a 5-3 win over the visiting Boston Red Sox on Wednesday to earn a split of their two-game series.

Ozzie Albies led off the ninth against reliever Ryan Brasier by poking a single to left field. After Adam Duvall flied out, Arcia delivered his first homer of the season into the left-field stands. It was his first homer since June 22, 2021 against Philadelphia and the first walk-off homer of his career.

The winning pitcher was Kenley Jansen (1-0), who worked around a walk to pitch a scoreless ninth inning. It was his first win as a Brave. Brasier (0-1) took the loss.

Neither starting pitcher figured in the decision. Boston’s Nathan Eovaldi worked 6 1/3 innings and gave up three runs on six hits, one walk and six strikeouts. Atlanta’s Ian Anderson pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed three runs on seven hits, one walk and four strikeouts.

The Red Sox got on the board in the second inning on a two-run homer by Trevor Story, his first since coming to Boston.

Boston made it 3-0 in the third inning on an RBI single by J.D. Martinez, who extended his hitting streak to 13 games and on-base streak to 29 games, both the longest current streaks in the major leagues.

The Braves scored three to tie the game in the bottom half of the inning. Travis Demeritte hit a two-run homer, his third, and Matt Olson plated another on an RBI double.

The Red Sox loaded the bases in the sixth, but Kevin Plawecki was called out on strikes to end the inning. Plawecki, who thought the pitch was low and well out of the strike zone, slammed his helmet in anger and was ejected by home plate umpire Adam Beck. Boston manager Alex Cora ran to the scene to argue and was also tossed, his second ejection of the season.

The Braves were without right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr., who sat out with a slight groin strain. Acuna was rested to help avoid a lingering injury.

–Field Level Media

Zach Logue tossed seven scoreless innings, Sean Murphy and Kevin Smith drove in two runs apiece, and the visiting Oakland Athletics thumped the slumping Detroit Tigers 9-0 on Wednesday.

Logue (1-0) held the Tigers to five hits and no walks while striking out six. He earned his first major league victory in his second career start and third appearance.

Oakland’s Christian Bethancourt had three hits, two runs and two RBIs, while Ramon Laureano walked twice, doubled, scored twice and drove in a run.

Sam Moll and Justin Grimm each pitched a scoreless inning to complete the shutout for the A’s, who have won three of the first four games in the five-game series that wraps up Thursday.

The Tigers have lost eight of their past nine games, and they have not scored more than two runs in any of those defeats.

Detroit starter Joey Wentz, making his major league debut, surrendered six runs on seven hits in 2 2/3 innings. The left-hander, who was called up from Triple-A Toledo prior to the game, walked two and struck out one.

Miguel Cabrera had three of Detroit’s seven hits.

The first batter to face Wentz, Tony Kemp, worked out a 12-pitch walk. Kemp moved to third on a wild pitch and groundout. Chad Pinder hit into a fielder’s choice, but Kemp stayed in the rundown long enough for Pinder to reach third. Murphy’s bloop single brought in Pinder.

Wentz gloved Laureano’s one-hopper behind his back and threw him out to escape further damage.

Oakland made it 3-0 in the second. Bethancourt led off with a single and advanced to third on Elvis Andrus’ one-out single. Cristian Pache brought in Bethancourt with another single, and Andrus scored on Kemp’s sacrifice fly.

The A’s knocked around Wentz for three more runs in the third before he was removed. Sheldon Neuse led off with a triple and scored on Murphy’s sacrifice fly. Laureano’s walk, Bethancourt’s single and Smith’s two-run double into the left-center-field gap ended Wentz’s night.

Oakland took a 7-0 lead in the fifth against Wily Peralta when Laureano walked, stole second and scored on Bethancourt’s single to center. The A’s added two runs against Gregory Soto in the ninth.

–Field Level Media

Juan Soto and Nelson Cruz homered to provide the bookends in an eight-run outburst over the first two innings against Tylor Megill Wednesday night as the host Washington Nationals beat the New York Mets 8-3.

The win was the second in the last seven games for the Nationals. The Mets need a win in Thursday’s series finale to remain unbeaten in series this season (8-0-1).

Megill appeared primed to continue his breakout campaign — he started a combined no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 29 and posted a 2.43 ERA in his first six starts — when the Mets raced out to a 3-0 lead against Aaron Sanchez (2-2) in the top of the first.

But the Nationals batted around while scoring five runs in the bottom half against Megill (4-2). Cesar Hernandez led off with a single and scored on Soto’s homer. Megill then hit Josh Bell with a pitch before Bell was forced on a grounder by Cruz, who went to third on Yadiel Hernandez’s double. Keibert Ruiz (single), Maikel Franco (sacrifice fly) and Dee Strange-Gordon (single) followed with RBIs.

Megill remained in the game but got just one out in the second, when Cesar Hernandez and Bell sandwiched singles around a Soto strikeout. Cruz followed with a long homer to center and Megill’s night ended when he walked Yadiel Hernandez.

The eight runs allowed were a career high for Megill, whose ERA rose to 4.41. He is the 11th pitcher this season to allow at least eight runs in a start.

Sanchez recovered from the rough first inning — Brandon Nimmo led off with a double and scored when Franco threw the ball away on Starling Marte’s infield single before Pete Alonso hit a two-run homer — and retired 11 straight before he exited after being hit on the left wrist by an Alonso comebacker with one out in the sixth. Sanchez gave up six hits and walked none while striking out one.

Nimmo finished with three hits for the Mets while Luis Guillorme had two hits. Trevor Williams and Stephen Nogosek combined to allow two hits over the final 6 2/3 innings.

Cesar Hernandez had three hits for the Nationals, who got 3 2/3 scoreless innings of relief from Austin Voth, Victor Arano and Paolo Espino.

–Field Level Media

Vidal Brujan doubled home the go-ahead run in the 10th inning as the Tampa Bay Rays salvaged the finale of their three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels with a 4-2 victory on Wednesday in Anaheim, Calif.

The Rays scored two runs in the top of the 10th off Aaron Loup (0-2). Brujan’s leadoff double scored automatic runner Kevin Kiermaier from second base. Brujan then stole third base and came home on Harold Ramirez’s single to center.

Los Angeles trailed 2-0 with one out in the eighth before tying the game on pinch hitter Taylor Ward’s two-run homer to left field off Andrew Kittredge.

J.P. Feyereisen (3-0) pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the win. The Angels had runners on the corners with two outs in the 10th before Brooks Raley struck out Brandon Marsh for his third save.

Kiermaier homered for Tampa Bay, which snapped its three-game losing streak and bounced back after being no-hit by the Angels’ Reid Detmers in a 12-0 loss on Tuesday.

Before the late-inning drama, the game was highlighted by a pitchers’ duel between the Rays’ Shane McClanahan and the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani.

McClanahan matched a career high by striking out 11 over seven scoreless innings. He allowed three hits with one walk while throwing 100 pitches.

Ohtani yielded one run on two hits over six frames. He walked two and struck out five on 92 pitches.

After being outscored 23-3 in the first two games of the series, Tampa Bay took an early lead on Kiermaier’s two-out solo homer in the second inning.

Neither team was able to push another run across until the eighth, when the Rays’ Taylor Walls hit a leadoff single, stole second base and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt before scoring on Yandy Diaz’s groundout.

Ward then tied the game in the bottom of the eighth with the Angels’ first pinch-hit homer since Jared Walsh accomplished the feat on Sept. 9, 2019. The blast was Ward’s seventh of the season.

Ohtani also singled and recorded his fifth stolen base for the Angels, who saw their three-game winning streak come to an end.

–Field Level Media

It would hardly be odd if the Cincinnati Reds were thrilled to be coming to Pittsburgh to open a four-game series on Thursday against the Pirates.

Not only are the Pirates a fellow National League Central team with a losing record, but the Reds also hadn’t had much success against any team until facing Pittsburgh visited last weekend.

Of Cincinnati’s seven wins, two came last weekend in a three-game set.

The Reds, last in the NL, responded to their first series win last weekend against Pittsburgh by winning another against NL Central leader Milwaukee, taking two of three, including a 14-11 win Wednesday.

“At the beginning of the year there were a lot of challenges. It just builds character,” Reds outfielder TJ Friedl, who was 3-for-4 with three runs scored Wednesday, told MLB on YouTube. “We won our first series against the Pirates, and now we’re building off that momentum.”

Cincinnati has been banged up most of the year but is coming out of its early-season funk.

“We just continue to take it day by day and, once we get healthy, get this thing rolling,” Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson, who was 3-for-5 Wednesday with two doubles and four RBIs, told MLB on YouTube.

The series loss in Cincinnati didn’t seem to dampen Pittsburgh’s desire. The Pirates bounced back to take two of three from the NL’s top team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, including a 5-3 win Wednesday.

“It’s a resilient group,” infielder Josh VanMeter, who homered and tripled and scored twice Wednesday, told AT&T Sportsnet. “That’s a big series win right there, especially after the series in Cincinnati. I think it shows a lot about this group.”

Daniel Vogelbach, who hit a tiebreaking homer Wednesday, stuck up for his Pittsburgh team as well as the Reds.

“I don’t think we necessarily think we played bad in Cincinnati,” he said. “Cincinnati just beat Milwaukee in a series, too. It’s the big leagues. Everybody’s getting paid to play the game. There’s no easy series.

“That’s all it is, is a series win (against L.A.) because we’ve got to come back (Thursday) and we’ve got to play good baseball against a really hot Cincinnati team.”

In the series opener, Cincinnati right-hander Connor Overton (0-0, 2.53 ERA) is scheduled to oppose Pittsburgh right-hander JT Brubaker (0-2, 5.68 ERA).

Overton, a former Pirates prospect, will be making his 12th big-league appearance and sixth start.

It will also be his second straight start — and second of his career — against Pittsburgh. Overton was the beneficiary of an odd set of circumstances in the opening game of Saturday’s doubleheader against the Pirates when Pittsburgh had to resort to VanMeter as its third-string catcher.

Overton pitched 5 1/3 innings Saturday, matching his career high, giving up two runs and a career-high-tying six hits. He also matched a career high of four strikeouts and issued no walks before the Reds scored a comeback win.

Brubaker is riding a string of three straight no-decisions. That includes Saturday in the doubleheader opener at Cincinnati, when he gave up two runs and three hits in five innings, matched his career best of nine strikeouts to go with two walks.

He could easily be seen as the victim of circumstance in that game, given the situation with the catchers. Starter Roberto Perez left with a hamstring injury and backup Andrew Knapp was ejected in the sixth inning and VanMeter struggled as the emergency option.

Against the Reds, Brubaker is 1-2 with a 4.62 ERA in five career starts.

–Field Level Media