Los Angeles lands at Comerica looking for a season-best 4th straight win after sweeping Texas at home over the weekend. That's the good news. The not-as-good news is they have to do it behind Jack Kochanowicz, who's now winless in his last 7 starts and carrying a 4.55 ERA into a park that hasn't been kind to him historically.
Detroit's the favorite on the board, but you wouldn't know it from the way they've been playing. The Tigers have dropped 4 of their last 5 and have been the worst offense in baseball this month, with Tarik Skubal still working back from elbow surgery and an injured list that reads like a full 26-man roster. The bullpen session news on Skubal is encouraging — he's reportedly close to a rehab outing — but "close" doesn't help A.J. Hinch tonight.
- Day-To-DayLogan O'Hoppe C — O'Hoppe (head) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
- Day-To-DayNolan Schanuel 1B — Schanuel (calf) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
- 10-Day-ILYoan Moncada 3B — Moncada isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Athletics, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILTravis d'Arnaud C — D'Arnaud (foot) told reporters Saturday that he does not have a timetable for his return from the 10-day injured list, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILDrew Pomeranz RP — Pomeranz (elbow) threw a live bullpen session Saturday, per MLB.com.
- 60-Day-ILYusei Kikuchi SP — Kikuchi (shoulder) said Wednesday that he's slated to begin a throwing program soon and expressed hope that he'll be able to return to the Angels early in the second half of the season, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILBen Joyce RP — Joyce (shoulder) is currently conducting his rehab program at the Angels' complex in Arizona, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILRobert Stephenson RP — The Angels announced that Stephenson underwent ligament and flexor repair surgery on his right elbow Wednesday and is likely to miss the remainder of the season, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayDugan Darnell RP — The Tigers announced Sunday that Darnell (hip) has been playing catch five times a week and is also taking part in a running progression, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
- Day-To-DayJosue Briceno C — Briceno said Friday that he expects to be sidelined a few months after having surgery Wednesday to repair a tendon in his right wrist, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
- 10-Day-ILGleyber Torres 2B — Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Wednesday that Torres (oblique) is still unable to swing a bat at full effort, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILJavier Baez SS — Baez (ankle) has been conducting his rehab at the Tigers' spring training facility in Florida and is taking part in full baseball activities, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
- 10-Day-ILKerry Carpenter RF — Carpenter (shoulder) has been doing light running and throwing since landing on the 10-day injured list and expects to resume swinging a bat this week, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
- 15-Day-ILTy Madden SP — Madden (forearm) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Monday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
- 15-Day-ILBrant Hurter RP — Hurter (4-1) allowed a run on two hits and a walk across 1.2 innings of relief to take the loss Friday against the Royals. He struck out one.
- 15-Day-ILBurch Smith RP — Smith has been diagnosed with right shoulder soreness and received a cortisone injection Friday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Keider Montero is the reason the home side is laying -130 anyway. A 3.83 ERA is fine on its own; the 1.01 WHIP is the number that pops. He's not missing bats at an elite clip, but he's not handing out free passes either, and against an Angels lineup missing Schanuel, O'Hoppe, Moncada and Rendon, traffic is going to be hard to come by.
The total sits at 8.5 with the under shaded slightly, which tracks. Two right-handers with command profiles, a Tigers offense that can barely buy a 4-spot, and an Angels group held together with duct tape. If you're looking for fireworks, you're probably in the wrong building.
The angle to watch is whether the Angels' weekend hot streak is real or a Texas-flavored mirage. Kochanowicz has been beat up by the Tigers before — 11 earned in 8 innings across two starts last year — so if Detroit's bats are ever going to wake up, this is the kind of matchup that does it. Otherwise, this one's setting up as a low-scoring grind that lives or dies on which bullpen blinks first.