Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels Game 52 Preview, TV, Lineup

Detroit Tigers (28-23) at Los Angeles Angels (26-24) – 8:05 PM ET

Angel Stadium – Anaheim, CA

TV: ESPN

Radio: 97.1 The Ticket (click for affiliates)

Weather: 71 degrees, partly cloudy

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Game Preview

At least for 24 hours, Detroit Tigers fans can stop complaining about the offense as the Tigers scored six runs on Saturday, but the end result stayed the same. Detroit will have to win on Saturday to avoid a four-game sweep in the weekend series against the Los Angeles Angels.

Sunday night is the final game of the seven-game West Coast trip for the Tigers. Detroit is 2-4 on the trip heading into the final game.

Los Angeles is two games above .500 for the first time in over a week. The Angles have never been three games above .500 this season.

When We Last Met

The series in Los Angeles has pretty much been a disaster for Detroit. The Angels have outscored the Tigers, 22-8, in the previous three games. Detroit has also lost 11 of its last 12 games at Angel Stadium.

The last two games, the Tigers have seen two polar opposite problems. The team couldn’t score on Friday, losing 2-0, and wasting one of Anibal Sanchez’s best starts of the year, but on Saturday, they scored six runs and that wasn’t enough because Shane Greene tossed up five home runs in just 1 2/3 innings.

Pitching Matchup

The good news is ace David Price is on the mound for the Tigers on Sunday night. Price is 4-1 with a 2.97 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 57 strikeouts in 66 2/3 innings this season.

Like many of the Detroit starters this year, Price has been up-and-down, but it probably only seems that way to fans because the expectations for Price are very high this season. The lefty has yielded two or fewer runs in six of his 10 starts.

Imagine where the Tigers would be without Price … that’s scary thought.

Right-hander Matt Shoemaker will start for the Angels. He is 3-4 with a 5.44 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 48 strikeouts in 51 1/3 innings this season. On May 21, he allowed eight runs, seven earned, on eight hits against the Toronto Blue Jays, but he certainly bounced back in his last start, pitching seven scoreless frames versus the San Diego Padres.

Hopefully, he finishes with a line more like the Blue Jays outing than the Padres one.

Tigers Lineup

1. Anthony Gose CF
2. Ian Kinsler 2B
3. Miguel Cabrera 1B
4. Yoenis Cespedes LF
5. J.D. Martinez RF
6. Tyler Collins DH
7. James McCann C
8. Jose Iglesias SS
9. Andrew Romine 3B

Injuries

Kyle Lobstein — 15-day DL
Victor Martinez — 15-day DL
Bruce Rondon — 15-day DL
Alex Avila — 15-day DL
Justin Verlander — 15-day DL
Joe Nathan – Out for the Season

Next: Fantasy Baseball: Five Hottest May Hitters in AL Central