Detroit @ Washington preview
Nationals Park
Last Meeting ( Jun 13, 2024 ) Washington 2, Detroit 7
The visiting Detroit Tigers will open their three-game series against the Washington Nationals a day later than expected when the teams clash in a day-night doubleheader on Wednesday.
After the scheduled Tuesday game was rained out, the teams will play a makeup game Wednesday afternoon before coming back for the originally scheduled evening contest.
The Tigers will start left-hander Tyler Holton (3-3, 4.34 ERA), an opener, in Game 1 and right-hander Jack Flaherty (5-9, 4.80) in Game 2, while the Nationals will counter with right-hander Trevor Williams (3-9, 5.65) and left-hander MacKenzie Gore (3-8, 3.09), respectively.
Holton's longest outing this season was two innings in April. The last time he opened, on June 19 against the Pirates, he gave up three runs on four hits -- two of them home runs -- in 1 1/3 innings.
In three career appearances against Washington, all in relief, Holton has no decisions and a 1.80 ERA.
Williams went 0-4 with a 5.55 ERA in June and did not complete six innings in any of his five starts. Last time out, he gave up four runs on seven hits in five-plus innings during a loss to the San Diego Padres on June 24.
"He was throwing the ball really well," Nationals manager Dave Martinez said after the Nationals lost that contest 4-3. "He had 62 pitches going into the sixth inning. He had plenty (left in the tank)."
Williams then was lifted after opening the sixth with back-to-back four-pitch walks.
The 33-year-old veteran is 2-0 with a 4.15 ERA in five starts vs. Detroit.
After two poor outings (15 earned runs in a combined seven innings), Flaherty rebounded somewhat his last time out for the Tigers. Against the Athletics on June 25, he gave up three runs on five hits over six innings of a 3-0 loss. He struck out seven and walked four.
"Progress, yeah," Flaherty said. "Just got outpitched. That guy over there (Jacob Lopez) threw a helluva game."
Flaherty is 4-1 with a 3.78 ERA in six lifetime starts against the Nationals.
Eliminate a clunker on June 20 against the Dodgers and Gore has been superb. He has given up two runs or fewer in seven of his past eight starts. Last time out, Gore took a 1-0 loss against the Padres on June 25 despite giving up only one run on five hits over six innings.
"That's on the lineup," Nationals center fielder Jacob Young said. "He keeps us in almost every game, and we just haven't been able to score the runs, especially in games like this where it's one or two. We haven't been able to scrap them together and get him some more wins. But he's had our back on the mound."
It was the fifth time this season that the Nationals scored zero runs or one run in Gore's 17 starts. Gore, who has not won since June 4, will face the Tigers for the second time in his career. He gave up two runs in 1 1/3 innings during a relief outing vs. Detroit in 2022.
On Tuesday, the Nationals brought infielder Paul DeJong back from a rehab assignment and reinstated him from the 10-day injured list. DeJong was hit by a pitch from Pittsburgh's Mitch Keller on April 15, causing nasal and orbital fractures. He subsequently underwent surgery.
To clear a roster spot, infielder Andres Chaparro was optioned to Triple-A Rochester.
The Tigers plan to place Kerry Carpenter on the 10-day injured list. The outfielder left Detroit's Sunday win over the Minnesota Twins due to right hamstring tightness.
"We're going to end up making a very cautious decision to put him on the injured list, given where we're at on the calendar," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told MLB Network Radio. "We have 12 games before the All-Star break. This is the second time he's had these sensations. It's very mild."
Infielder Trey Sweeney is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Toledo to fill Carpenter's roster spot.
--Field Level Media