It’s been a rough go of it for the Detroit Tigers since ace pitcher Tarik Skubal underwent a surgical procedure – especially in the month of May, when they only won six of 28 games, falling to last place in the American League Central Division standings.
However, the month of June has been a different story for them so far, and they’ve recently put the finishing touches on something they’ve not accomplished in seven weeks – a series sweep.
It’s been a long time coming for the Tigers, who are feeling a bit better about themselves after taking three straight against the contending Tampa Bay Rays, who still lead the American League East Division.
The Detroit Tigers Have Swept A Series For The First Time In Seven Weeks
The Tigers, who had defeated the Rays in the first two games of the series, put the finishing touches on the sweep Wednesday afternoon with a 7-2 victory, improving their record to 25-38 and earning their first sweep in seven weeks.
They also accomplished the feat by outscoring the Rays, who remain in first place in the AL East, by a combined 25-11 score. They also blasted 10 home runs during the series, finally seeing the offense come alive.
They weren’t phased by Rays starter Nick Martinez, who came into the game with a solid 1.62 ERA. Dillon Dingler stared him down with a home run, and also came through with four total RBI during the victory. The afternoon for Martinez was over after just four innings, bringing an end to an impressive streak of 11 straight starts to begin the season without allowing more than two runs.
Additionally, Jake Rogers broke a considerable slump of his own with a home run, which was his first since July 20 of last season, a span of over 100 plate appearances.
Starter Troy Melton had himself an afternoon, getting in eight full innings of work for the first time in his MLB career. He also retired the final 17 batters that he faced.
Tigers Pull Off Feat They Hadn’t Achieved in 49 Days