MLB Game Preview - Detroit at Baltimore

Wed May 29, 2019 7:05 PM EDT

Tigers look to turn tide in series finale vs. Orioles

The Detroit Tigers got some good starting pitching and timely hitting at the same time in Tuesday's win over the host Baltimore Orioles. That hasn't happened often this season, and it's a big reason the Tigers have won just twice in their last 14 games.

That victory snapped a three-game skid, and the Tigers now will try to start a winning streak when the teams meet in the finale of this series on Wednesday night.

Matthew Boyd threw six shutout innings while Niko Goodrum homered and Miguel Cabrera and JaCoby Jones added RBI hits in a 3-0 victory that let the Tigers even the series at one all.

Offense and the starting pitching have been problems for the Tigers all season. Detroit now has a .225 batting average, which ranks 27th in the majors.

Manager Ron Gardenhire said before the game that they're looking for offense wherever and however they can find it.

"We're just trying to mix it up and find a way to score more than the other guys right now, to tell you the truth," Gardenhire said to MLB.com.

The starting pitching has been an issue because the Tigers have four of them out at present. Gardenhire told MLB.com over the weekend that many of the team's problems come back to that.

Shane Greene is the Tiger who might be pitching the best. The closer recorded his 17th save Tuesday and has a save in all but three of the Detroit victories.

The Tigers made a bunch of moves Monday, according to the team's web site. Josh Harrison (strained left hamstring) went on to the 10-day injured list. Pitcher Spencer Turnbull was put on the bereavement list after his grandfather passed away.

Turnbull is still scheduled to start Friday in Atlanta, but Jeimer Candelario took the pitcher's spot on the roster Tuesday. He had been optioned back to Triple-A Toledo recently. Victor Reyes got the call to take Harrison's roster spot.

Ryan Carpenter (0-2, 9.00) will start for the Tigers on Wednesday versus John Means (5-4, 2.96) of Baltimore. Both starters will be pitching for the first time against their opponents.

The Orioles made a move on Tuesday, bringing up DJ Stewart from Triple-A Norfolk after sending pitcher Evan Phillips down the day before. Baltimore is looking for offense, and Stewart, a former first-round draft pick, had been crushing the ball at Norfolk.

Manager Brandon Hyde put him right into the lineup Tuesday, and Stewart went 3-for-4 while playing right field. Hyde told the media after the game that Stewart impressed him in his 2019 debut.

"I like the way he hung in there," Hyde said. "He took really good at-bats all night. Really nice first night for DJ."

Baltimore will be hoping for another good start from Means, who has been one of the team's biggest surprises so far this season. The 6-foot-3 left-hander developed a nasty change-up that often has opposing batters way out in front and helped him pitch effectively in all but one of his eight starts.

The bullpen also has been an issue lately, especially late in the game, but Miguel Castro pitched well in Tuesday's game. He threw two scoreless innings after starter Dylan Bundy came out following the seventh.

The big question, though, is what Hyde will do if the Orioles need to close out a close game. After Mychal Givens' recent struggles, Hyde is moving him out of the closer's role for now to let him work on some things. Shawn Armstrong closed Monday, but Hyde didn't have much else left in the bullpen at that point.

--Field Level Media