Tampa Bay @ Detroit preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 7, 2015 ) Tampa Bay 4, Detroit 5

The Detroit Tigers are looking for small signs of improvement, and back-to-back wins for the first time in three weeks would count as a step forward. The Tigers will try to accomplish that when they host the Tampa Bay Rays in the second of a three-game series on Tuesday.

Detroit is looking for its first win of a series three games or longer since taking two of three from the Kansas City Royals Aug. 4-6, and grabbed a 5-4 win in the opener against the Rays on Monday. The Tigers have made a sharp decline in the standings over the last few weeks and will have to be content to make things difficult for potential playoff teams down the stretch. The Rays are one of those potential teams, but Monday’s loss gave them four in the last five games and dropped them three games below .500 (67-70). Tampa Bay will try to bounce back behind right-hander Erasmo Ramirez while Detroit counters with Matt Boyd.

TV: 7:08 p.m. ET, Sun Sports (Tampa Bay), FSN Detroit

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays RH Erasmo Ramirez (10-5, 3.84 ERA) vs. Tigers LH Matt Boyd (1-5, 8.36)

Ramirez failed to make it through five innings in either of his last two turns and was reached for four runs in as many innings without factoring in the decision at Baltimore on Wednesday. The Nicaragua native yielded at least four earned runs in four of his last eight outings after going nine straight starts allowing two or fewer. Ramirez is making his first career start against Detroit and is 5-1 with a 4.97 ERA on the road in 2015.

Boyd is trying to earn his spot in the 2016 rotation and has not been very impressive since being acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays in the trade that sent away David Price. Boyd managed only three outs while being rocked for six runs on seven hits and two walks at Kansas City on Thursday and has not won since his team debut on Aug. 5. The 24-year-old turned in two quality starts in six chances with the Tigers.

WALK-OFFS

1. Tigers 2B Ian Kinsler needs two hits to reach 1,500 for his career.

2. Tampa Bay 3B Evan Longoria hit his 19th home run on Monday and needs one more to reach 20 for the seventh time in his eight-year career.

3. Detroit 1B Miguel Cabrera is 0-for-10 in the last three games, dropping his league-leading batting average to .350.

PREDICTION: Rays 7, Tigers 5