The Detroit Tigers are heading back home to Detroit with a much-needed boost in confidence after winning three out of four games against the Minnesota Twins on the road. It was a challenging stretch for the Tigers, who had previously struggled, losing 11 of their last 12 games. Manager A.J. Hinch had to rely on bullpen games due to injuries to the starting rotation, but the team managed to come out on top.
The Tigers’ weekend victory featured home runs from Spencer Torkelson and Kerry Carpenter, contributing to a 6-4 win on Sunday. Hinch acknowledged the efforts of his bullpen and the strong performances from starting pitchers Matthew Boyd and Joey Wentz during the series against the Twins.
After finishing their series with the Kansas City Royals, the Tigers will face the Twins again in a three-game series at home this coming weekend. Hinch recognized that playing in Minneapolis is not easy for his team, but they are showing improvement and their offense has been picking up.
On the other hand, the Royals have been struggling, losing 14 of their last 16 games. Their latest defeat came at the hands of the Los Angeles Angels with a 5-2 score on Sunday. The Tigers had previously won two out of three games in a series against the Royals last month.
In Monday’s game, the Royals are expected to start right-hander Jordan Lyles, who has had a challenging season with an 0-11 record and a 6.89 ERA. Lyles has been charged with the loss in six of his past seven outings, including his most recent start against Cincinnati where he gave up five runs in six innings.
Lyles expressed his frustration with the team’s losing streak and took responsibility for his performances. Despite his struggles, he remains focused on helping the team and aims to go deep into games with the lead.
Lyles will be opposed by rookie Reese Olson, who is expected to start for the Tigers. Olson had a tough outing against Atlanta in his last start, surrendering seven runs (six earned) in 3 1/3 innings. However, he had shown promise in his first two starts, giving up only three runs in 10 innings.
Olson acknowledged that it wasn’t his day in his previous outing but maintained his approach and mindset for the game.
As the Tigers return home to face the Royals, both teams will be looking to turn their fortunes around and secure a victory in the series opener. First pitch from Comerica Park will be at 5:40 CT, with pregame at 5 o’clock on KTTN AM 1600 and FM 98.3. Coverage from Detroit will be joined in progress following local news and weather on KTTN FM 92.3.
Other games on the MLB schedule for Monday, June 19, 2023:
Toronto at Miami – 5:40 CT
New York (NL) at Houston – 7:10 CT
Boston at Minnesota – 6:40 CT
Texas at Chicago (AL) – 7:10 CT
St. Louis at Washington – 3:05 CT
Chicago (NL) at Pittsburgh – 6:05 CT
Colorado at Cincinnati – 6:05 CT
Arizona at Milwaukee – 7:10 CT
San Diego at San Francisco – 8:45 CT
Photo credit – Wikimedia Commons / Detroit, MI
