DETROIT TIGERS (37-35) vs. CHICAGO WHITE SOX (31-40)
RHP Alfredo Simon (7-4, 3.29) vs. LHP Carlos Rodon (3-1, 3.75)
Thursday, June 26, 2015 at 1:08 p.m.
Comerica Park, Detroit, MI
RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers dropped their series finale at Cleveland with an 8-2 loss on Wednesday afternoon at Progressive Field. J.D. Martinez hit his 17th home run of the season and drove in two runs, while Yoenis Cespedes was 1×4 with a run scored and a double. Buck Farmer started for the Tigers and took the loss after allowing five runs on eight hits with two walks and seven strikouts in 5.1 innings. The Tigers open a 10-game homestand this afternoon as they begin a four-game series vs. the White Sox. Following the series vs. Chicago, the homestand continues with three games against the Pittsburgh Pirates and three games against the Toronto Blue Jays.
AVILA TO BEGIN INJURY REHAB ASSIGNMENT FRIDAY: The Tigers announced yesterday that catcher Alex Avila will begin an injury rehabilitation assignment with Triple A Toledo on Friday. Avila has been sidelined since May 8 with a loose body in his left knee.
J.D. POWER: J.D. Martinez hit his 17th home run of the season in yesterday’s loss at Cleveland, belting a two-run blast off Carlos Carrasco in the seventh inning. Martinez’s 17 home runs rank tied for sixth in the American League. Since making his Tigers debut on April 21, 2014, Martinez ranks fourth in the American League with a .540 slugging percentage, eighth with 87 extra base hits and tied for 10th with 40 home runs.
J.D. MARTINEZ RIDING 17 GAME ON BASE STREAK: J.D. Martinez enters today’s game having reached base safely in 17 consecutive games. The 17-game streak is the longest in Martinez’s career and ranks as the fourth-longest active on base streak in the American League.
YO KNOWS HITTING: Yoenis Cespedes went 1×4 with a run scored and a double in yesterday’s loss. Cespedes has hit safely in six straight games and 16 of his last 17 games and is batting .373 (25×67) with 16 runs scored, five doubles, three home runs and 13 RBI during the 17-game stretch. Cespedes currently ranks tied for third in the American League with 22 doubles and 26 multi hit games, tied for fourth with 33 extra base hits, sixth with a .307 batting average, tied for sixth with 84 hits, and 10th with 138 total bases.
PLAY SUN SMART: In partnership with Major League Baseball and the American Academy of Dermatology, the Detroit Tigers bring attention to the prevention of skin cancer. The Tigers host a pregame ceremony featuring local representatives of the American Academy of Dermatology to celebrate its partnership with MLB and encourage players and fans to practice sun-safe behavior. Representatives of the AAD share information about sun-safe behavior at an awareness table on the concourse of Comerica Park near the Brushfire Grille. The partnership is celebrated in a pregame ceremony featuring Jungho L. Kwon, MD, FAAD of Henry Ford Health Systems and Kevin Rand, Tigers Head Athletic Trainer and a skin cancer survivor.
#VOTETIGERS: Voting continues for Major League Baseball’s 86th All-Star Game held at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. MLB’s All-Star Balloting Program is the largest of its kind in professional sports and this year will be conducted exclusively online. Fans around the world can cast their votes for position starters 35 times by visiting tigers.com/vote. Voting is open now through July 2 and fans are encouraged to vote early and often. Miguel Cabrera regained his lead for first baseman this past week, while Yoenis Cespedes is closing in on an outfield start. Other Tigers players are near the tops of their position lists, so make your 35 votes count and VOTE TIGERS!
TODAY’S TIDBITS
- The national anthem will be performed by Northwestern Michigan College’s Canticum Novum Choir of Traverse City, MI.
- The ceremonial first pitch will be thrown out by Keith Villa, head brewmaster and founder of Blue Moon.
- The first 10,00 fans will receive a Victor Martinez Bobblehead, courtesy of Belle Tire. The game ball will be delivered by Specialist Jeff Singles of the United States Army from Clarkston, MI. Specialist Singles recently returned from deployment in South Korea. He has proudly served the United States Army for three years.
TIGERS AT A GLANCE
Record: 37-35 / Streak: L1
Game #73 / Home #37
Home: 18-18 / Road 19-17
TIGERS VS. WHITE SOX
2015 Record: 5-4
2015 at Home: 2-1
2015 at Chicago: 3-3
All-Time Record: 1,061-1,027-15
All-Time at Home: 560-479-5
All-Time at Comerica Park: 69-70
All-Time at Chicago: 501-548-10
2015 GAME LOG
| Date | Site | Result | Winner/Loser/Save |
| 4/17 | DET | W, 2-1 | Soria/Duke |
| 4/18 | DET | L, 12-3 | Sale/Sanchez |
| 4/19 | DET | W, 9-1 | Greene/Quintana |
| 5/5 | CWS | L, 5-2 | Samardzija/Greene/Robertson |
| 5/6 | CWS | L, 7-6 | Putnam/Chamberlain/Robertson |
| 5/7 | CWS | W, 4-1 | Lobstein/Quintana/Soria |
| 6/5 | CWS | L, 4-3 (11) | Petricka/Wilson |
| 6/6 | CWS | W, 7-1 | PRICE/Danks |
| 6/7 | CWS | W, 6-4 | Simon/Samardzija/Soria |
| 6/25 | DET | ||
| 6/26 | DET | ||
| 6/27 | DET | ||
| 6/28 | DET | ||
| 9/21 | DET | ||
| 9/21 | DET | ||
| 9/22 | DET | ||
| 9/23 | DET | ||
| 10/2 | CWS | ||
| 10/3 | CWS | ||
| 10/4 | CWS |
STREAKS
Last five games: 3-2
Last 10 games: 4-6
Last 15 games: 7-8
Last 20 games: 9-11
This content was originally published on June 25, 2015. It was delivered electronically to specific media contacts and the entire Detroit Tigers front office staff, as well as being available to media in the press box and distributed to fans at program stands around Comerica Park.
