Detroit Tigers: Previewing the Oakland A’s

The Detroit Tigers are in the midst of an ugly six-game losing streak heading into a four-game series against the 40-38 Oakland A’s.

It’s been a rough week for the Detroit Tigers. They dropped two games against the lowly Reds before getting swept by the rival Indians. A date at home against the Oakland A’s and their patchwork pitching rotation could be just what the doctor ordered – provided Detroit is able to get their rotation back on track. Here are the pitching matchups for this week’s series:

Monday, June 25 (3:10) Edwin Jackson vs. Jordan Zimmermann

Tuesday, June 26 (7:10) Frankie Montas vs. Blaine Hardy

Wednesday, June 27 (7:10) Sean Manaea vs. Mike Fiers

Thursday, June 28 (1:10) TBA vs. Michael Fulmer

Before you ask: yes, that is the same Edwin Jackson. Jackson will be pitching for his 13th big league team when he suits up for the A’s. That will tie him with longtime reliever (and former Tiger) Octavio Dotel for the most all-time. Jackson has been pitching at Triple-A this season with both the A’s and the Nationals’ affiliates. He has a 3.53 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 71 1/3 innings. He last appeared in the big leagues with the Nationals and Orioles in 2017, pitching to a 5.21 ERA in 13 starts.

Elsewhere, the Tigers will get to see electric right-hander Frankie Montas on Tuesday and left-hander Sean Manaea, who tossed a no-hitter earlier this season, on Wednesday. Montas has a 2.41 ERA on the year, although a 3.70 FIP paints a more optimistic picture for Tigers fans.

Likewise, while Manaea has a 3.40 ERA in a league-leading 16 starts, his 4.19 FIP shows he’s had a little luck. Still, the Tigers won’t have the easiest time scoring runs after Jackson’s appearance on Monday.

What to Watch out For

Can Detroit limit the long-balls?

Oakland has hit at least one home run in a record-breaking 25 consecutive road games. They already have five players with double-digit home runs, led by Khris Davis‘ 20 and Matt Olson‘s 17. Detroit’s pitching has not been great at keeping the ball in the yard, so this series could come down to how well they can contain Oakland’s new-age bash brothers.

 Where’s John Hicks?

The Detroit Tigers gave the reigns at first base to John Hicks after losing Miguel Cabrera for the season. Hicks has had a good year with the stick, but absolutely disappeared on the most recent road trip. He has hit .077 (1-for-13) in the last seven games, dragging his average down to .273.

Hicks has hit considerably better at home this season, boasting a .329/.380/.447 line at Comerica, compared to just .234/.270/.426 on the road. If Hicks can find some of that CoPa magic against the A’s, he will go a long way toward securing his job at first base for the rest of the season. If he cannot, perhaps the Tigers will start looking at alternative options.

Next: 2006 Tigers: Where are they now?

The Tigers are a young, rebuilding club. As such, ugly stretches can and will happen. How they rebound from this brutal stretch will go a long way in determining the character of this club.