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Preview: Tigers (28-27) at White Sox (24-28)
Game: 2
Venue: U.S. Cellular Field
Date: June 06, 2015 7:15 PM EDT
Although they were one out away from winning the series opener, the Detroit Tigers aren't showing signs of ending the offensive slump that has contributed to their worst slide in a decade.
With David Price looking to play the stopper role, the visiting Tigers might not need a huge scoring outburst to avoid a ninth straight loss Saturday night against the last-place Chicago White Sox.
Detroit's Joakim Soria retired the first two batters in the bottom of the ninth Friday and had an 0-1 count on Adam LaRoche before the first baseman hit a tying solo shot to send the game to extra innings.
Alex Wilson then hit former Tiger outfielder Avisail Garcia with a pitch with the bases loaded in the 11th inning as the White Sox (25-28) escaped with a 4-3 victory in the first of three at U.S. Cellular Field.
'We've had some games where we let some guys dominate us for seven, eight innings," LaRoche said. "We need to get past that. The bright side there is we're coming back in a lot of games, just like tonight getting down 3-1.'
The Tigers (28-28) had nine hits while scoring three runs or less for the ninth time in 11 games. They're batting .211 with 82 strikeouts and only four home runs while averaging 2.4 runs over that stretch.
Ian Kinsler (8 for 61) and J.D. Martinez (8 for 42) are among those slumping for the four-time defending AL Central champions, who will try to avoid their longest losing streak since September 2005. They're also trying to avoid dropping under .500 this late into the season since they were 41-42 on July 5, 2012.
'I think everybody in this clubhouse knows we're a good team and this is just a bad stretch," manager Brad Ausmus said.
The Tigers had won Price's previous six outings before he gave up two runs in the eighth inning of Sunday's 4-2 defeat to the Los Angeles Angels. He allowed four runs over 7 2-3 innings while issuing four walks - his most since September 2012.
"Got to pitch better," the left-hander told MLB's official website.
Price (4-2, 3.15 ERA) is 4-1 with a 2.68 ERA in his last seven meetings against the White Sox. His lone loss came in his last outing in Chicago, when he gave up eight runs - six earned - over six-plus innings in a 9-2 defeat.
He put together one of his best outings of the season against the White Sox on April 17, yielding one run and four hits while striking out nine over eight innings in a 2-1 victory.
Garcia, who homered off Price in that contest, hit a solo shot Friday. Adam Eaton is 7 for 12 against Price, but Jose Abreu's only hit in 10 at_bats in the matchup left the yard.
The White Sox hope to win consecutive games for only the second time since a six-game winning streak from May 12-18.
After giving up 11 runs over 10 1-3 innings in his previous two starts, John Danks (3-4, 4.81) became the only pitcher to give up at least 10 hits and at least five extra-base hits in a shutout going back to 1914 in Sunday's 6-0 win at Houston.
Danks is 6-10 with a 5.11 ERA in 22 starts versus Detroit but went 2-0 with a 3.44 mark in three meetings last season. Kinsler has gone 14 for 41 (.341) with four home runs off him, though Miguel Cabrera is 11 for 44 (.250) with one homer.
SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Tigers at White Sox
Fri, Jun 5 Final 3 to 4
Boxscores
GAME 2
Tigers at White Sox
Sat, Jun 6 - 7:15PM EDT
GAME 3
Tigers at White Sox
Sun, Jun 7 - 2:10PM EDT
Game: 2
Venue: U.S. Cellular Field
Date: June 06, 2015 7:15 PM EDT
Although they were one out away from winning the series opener, the Detroit Tigers aren't showing signs of ending the offensive slump that has contributed to their worst slide in a decade.
With David Price looking to play the stopper role, the visiting Tigers might not need a huge scoring outburst to avoid a ninth straight loss Saturday night against the last-place Chicago White Sox.
Detroit's Joakim Soria retired the first two batters in the bottom of the ninth Friday and had an 0-1 count on Adam LaRoche before the first baseman hit a tying solo shot to send the game to extra innings.
Alex Wilson then hit former Tiger outfielder Avisail Garcia with a pitch with the bases loaded in the 11th inning as the White Sox (25-28) escaped with a 4-3 victory in the first of three at U.S. Cellular Field.
'We've had some games where we let some guys dominate us for seven, eight innings," LaRoche said. "We need to get past that. The bright side there is we're coming back in a lot of games, just like tonight getting down 3-1.'
The Tigers (28-28) had nine hits while scoring three runs or less for the ninth time in 11 games. They're batting .211 with 82 strikeouts and only four home runs while averaging 2.4 runs over that stretch.
Ian Kinsler (8 for 61) and J.D. Martinez (8 for 42) are among those slumping for the four-time defending AL Central champions, who will try to avoid their longest losing streak since September 2005. They're also trying to avoid dropping under .500 this late into the season since they were 41-42 on July 5, 2012.
'I think everybody in this clubhouse knows we're a good team and this is just a bad stretch," manager Brad Ausmus said.
The Tigers had won Price's previous six outings before he gave up two runs in the eighth inning of Sunday's 4-2 defeat to the Los Angeles Angels. He allowed four runs over 7 2-3 innings while issuing four walks - his most since September 2012.
"Got to pitch better," the left-hander told MLB's official website.
Price (4-2, 3.15 ERA) is 4-1 with a 2.68 ERA in his last seven meetings against the White Sox. His lone loss came in his last outing in Chicago, when he gave up eight runs - six earned - over six-plus innings in a 9-2 defeat.
He put together one of his best outings of the season against the White Sox on April 17, yielding one run and four hits while striking out nine over eight innings in a 2-1 victory.
Garcia, who homered off Price in that contest, hit a solo shot Friday. Adam Eaton is 7 for 12 against Price, but Jose Abreu's only hit in 10 at_bats in the matchup left the yard.
The White Sox hope to win consecutive games for only the second time since a six-game winning streak from May 12-18.
After giving up 11 runs over 10 1-3 innings in his previous two starts, John Danks (3-4, 4.81) became the only pitcher to give up at least 10 hits and at least five extra-base hits in a shutout going back to 1914 in Sunday's 6-0 win at Houston.
Danks is 6-10 with a 5.11 ERA in 22 starts versus Detroit but went 2-0 with a 3.44 mark in three meetings last season. Kinsler has gone 14 for 41 (.341) with four home runs off him, though Miguel Cabrera is 11 for 44 (.250) with one homer.
SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Tigers at White Sox
Fri, Jun 5 Final 3 to 4
Boxscores
GAME 2
Tigers at White Sox
Sat, Jun 6 - 7:15PM EDT
GAME 3
Tigers at White Sox
Sun, Jun 7 - 2:10PM EDT
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