Baltimore @ Detroit preview
Comerica Park
Last Meeting ( Jul 5, 2010 ) Baltimore 9, Detroit 12
With the Detroit Tigers’ offense running in high gear, maybe Armando Galarraga can stop trying to throw a perfect game and just let his lineup do the work.
Galarraga will be looking to regain his fine form when the Tigers face the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday.
Facing the worst pitching staff in the American League with first place on the line on Monday, Detroit stepped right up and pounded the Baltimore Orioles, 12-9, to pull a half-game in front of the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central.
The whole team got into the act, with Brandon Inge driving in four runs, Carlos Guillen chipping in three RBIs and Miguel Cabrera pushing two across to lead the charge.
The explosion, which included eight runs in the first two innings, gave Detroit wins in three of its last four - with the offense producing at least six runs in all three victories.
That kind of production can only help the pitching staff, though rookie left-hander Andy Oliver didn’t stick around long enough to reap the rewards on Monday. He was knocked out after surrendering six runs in 1 2/3 innings.
The bullpen was forced to take care of the rest of the contest, with five relievers combining to finish it out.
So while Galarraga should have plenty of offense at his back, he shouldn’t be looking toward a tired bullpen to pick him up should he faulter once again.
The right-hander hasn’t quite been the same since nearly pitching a perfect game back on June 2 against the Cleveland Indians. Galarraga had history in the palm of his hand until umpire Jim Joyce missed a call on the 27th out, forcing Galarraga to finish up his 28-batter one-hitter.
Galarraga shook off the disappointment that night but hasn’t found a rythym since, going 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA in his last five starts. His outings have gotten progressively worse, culminating with a four-inning effort last week at Minnesota in which he allowed six runs on seven hits and absorbed the loss.
The 28-year-old has made it into the seventh inning in only two of his eight starts this season. He has not had much success against the Orioles in the past, going 0-2 with a 4.61 ERA while allowing five homers in two career starts.
At this point, Baltimore - owners of the worst record in baseball - is just testing out young players to see which ones can be used as building blocks on the long road back to contention. Starters Brian Matusz and Chris Tillman have both shown flashes of brilliance, and Tuesday’s starter Jake Arrieta has the same kind of talent.
Arrieta, 24, earned the win in each of his first two major league starts early last month, allowing four runs and seven hits combined in 13 innings against the division-leading San Diego Padres and New York Yankees.
Things have not gone quite as smoothly since, however, as the right-hander has gone 0-2 with an 8.78 ERA and a .351 batting average against in his last three outings.
The organization’s leader in strikeouts in the minors in 2009, Arrieta has notched only four punchouts in his last three starts and has issued 10 walks.