Detroit Tigers: Jackson drops game one against Houston

The Detroit Tigers played their first game of a four-game set with Houston today who handed Edwin Jackson his first loss after returning to Detroit.

Edwin Jackson took the mound for the third time since rejoining the Detroit Tigers tonight. He made the start against the AL West division-leading Houston Astros and immediately gave up four runs in the first inning. Detroit was never able to fully close the gap and lost the game 4-5, giving Jackson his first loss since rejoining his former club.

Detroit did make a game out of it, however, despite falling behind by three runs in the bottom of the first. Ronnie Rodriguez and Travis Demeritte had big nights behind the plate. Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with a solo shot and Demeritte went 3-for-5 with a solo shot and scored two runs. These performances brought the Tigers within one, but it wasn’t quite enough.

This offensive performance was unfortunately highlighted by the amount of runners Detroit stranded. The Tigers went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11 runners on base. Against a team like Houston, Detroit will need to capitalize on more of these opportunities if they hope to win over the next few games.

Tonight was an encouraging performance from the bullpen. Jackson was pulled after five innings, and the bullpen only gave up one run over the next three. David McKay had an especially good performance, striking out all three hitters he faced on the night. Hopefully, he can continue performing in the future.

The Tigers continue their series against the Astros tomorrow at 8:10 p.m. EST. Spencer Turnbull will get the ball for Detroit. He has pitched well as of late and will need to continue that against the strong Astros lineup. Detroit’s hitting will need to take advantage of their opportunities on offense as well.