DETROIT TIGERS (52-55) vs. KANSAS CITY ROYALS (63-43)
RHP Anibal Sanchez (10-9, 4.77) vs. RHP Jordano Ventura (6-7, 4.98)
Thursday, August 6, 2015 at 1:08 p.m.
Comerica Park, Detroit, MI
RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers evened their series against the Royals with a 2-1 win on Wednesday night at Comerica Park. Making his Tigers debut, Matt Boyd earned the first win of his major league career, pitching 7.0 innings and allowing one run on seven hits with two strikeouts. Alex Wilson pitched a scoreless third of an inning to notch his second save. Offensively, Anthony Gose was 1×4 with a triple and a RBI, while Victor Martinez drove in the eventual game-winning run with a RBI groundout. The Tigers and Royals conclude their three-game series this afternoon. Following today’s game, the homestand continues with three games vs. Boston.
BOYD EARNS FIRST MAJOR LEAGUE WIN: Matt Boyd picked up the first win of his major league career last night, allowing one run on seven hits with two strikeouts in 7.0 innings. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Boyd was the first pitcher to earn his first major league win in his Tigers debut by pitching at lest 7.0 innings with no walks since Art Herring in 1929.
McCANNON: James McCann threw out Ben Zobrist attempting to steal second base during the first inning of last night’s game. It marked McCann’s 16th catcher caught stealing this season, which is tied for the fourth most in the American League. Additionally, McCann has a caught stealing percentage of 45.0 percent this season, which is the fifth-best in the AL.
WHAT A RELIEF: Alex Wilson picked up his second save of the season last night, pitching a third of an inning with one hit allowed. Wilson has not allowed an earned run in 11 straight outings and in 21 of his last 25 appearances dating back to June 9. Over his last 24 outings, Wilson has a 1.57 ERA (28.2IP/5ER). For the season, Wilson ranks second among American League relievers with 53.2 innings pitched, while he is ninth with a 1.84 ERA (53.2IP/11ER).
TRIPLE THREAT: Anthony Gose and Ian Kinsler each hit their fifth triple of the year in last night’s win. As a team, the Tigers now have a major league leading 35 triples this season. The 35 triples are the most Detroit has had in a single season since the 2012 team finished the year with 39 triples. It’s also the most triples the Tigers have had through August 5 since 2004, when they also had 35 triples at that point in the season.
J.D. ON TARGET VS. KANSAS CITY: J.D. Martinez has had success in his career against the Kansas City Royals. In 33 career games vs. the Royals, Martinez is hitting .339 (38×112) with 17 runs scored, eight doubles, six home runs and 17 RBI.
CENTRAL FOCUS: The Tigers have gone 28-18 this season against teams from the American League Central, going 7-5 vs. Chicago, 9-3 vs. Cleveland, 4-5 vs. Kansas City and 8-5 vs. Minnesota. Since the start of the 2011 season, Detroit has posted a .617 winning percentage vs. teams from the AL Central, going 211-131.
AT COMERICA PARK: The Tigers are 1-1 during their current six-game homestand against Kansas City (1-1) and Boston (August 7-9). Detroit is 26-28 at home this season. The Tigers are hitting .284 (527×1858) at home this season, which leads the American League, while the pitching staff has compiled a 4.27 ERA (499.0IP/237ER) at Comerica Park.
TODAY’S TIDBITS
- The national anthem will be performed by vocalist Christina Chriss.
- The ceremonial first pitch will be thrown by Justin Lipski, representing Massage Green Spa, Tigers fan Jeff Grimm and 97-year-old Tigers Fan, Catherine “Bunny” Rejefski.
- The game ball will be delivered by Captain Jonathan Turnball of the United States Army from Gaylord, Michigan.
TIGERS AT A GLANCE
Record: 52-55 / Streak: W1
Game #108 / Home #55
Home: 26-28 / Road 26-27
TIGERS VS. ROYALS
2015 Record: 4-5
2015 at Home: 2-3
2015 at Kansas City: 2-2
All-Time Record: 319-316
All-Time at Home: 168-152
All-Time at Comerica Park: 76-65
All-Time at Kansas City: 151-164
2015 GAME LOG
| Date | Site | Result | Winner/Loser/Save |
| 4/30 | KC | L, 8-1 | Duffy/Simon |
| 5/1 | KC | L, 4-1 | Young/Lobstein/Davis |
| 5/2 | KC | W, 2-1 | PRICE/Volquez |
| 5/3 | KC | W, 6-4 | Sanchez/Guthrie/Soria |
| 5/8 | DET | W, 6-5 | Soria/Pino |
| 5/9 | DET | L, 6-2 | Guthrie/Sanchez |
| 5/10 | DET | L, 2-1 (10) | Fraser/Nesbitt/Holland |
| 8/4 | DET | L, 5-1 | Duffy/Verlander |
| 8/5 | DET | W, 2-1 | Boyd/Cueto/Wilson |
| 8/6 | DET | ||
| 8/10 | KC | ||
| 8/11 | KC | ||
| 8/12 | KC | ||
| 9/1 | KC | ||
| 9/2 | KC | ||
| 9/3 | KC | ||
| 9/18 | DET | ||
| 9/19 | DET | ||
| 9/20 | DET |
STREAKS
Last five games: 2-3
Last 10 games: 4-6
Last 15 games: 6-9
Last 20 games: 8-12
This content was originally published on August 6, 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.
