Rays seek offensive consistency in series vs. Tigers

Coming off a long, action-filled day of baseball, the major-league-leading Detroit Tigers visit the Tampa Bay Rays for the opener of a three-game set on Friday.

Detroit split a doubleheader with the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday. After earning a 9-2 victory in Game 1 following a 40-minute rain delay, the Tigers fell 8-4 in a 10-inning nightcap that featured a 75-minute delay. Detroit manager A.J. Hinch was ejected in the top of the 10th after arguing a play at the plate.

Even after a 3-3 homestand, Detroit remains on pace for its highest win total in a season since going 104-58 in 1984 -- the last year the franchise won the World Series.

With 371 runs scored this year, the Tigers trail only the New York Yankees (379) in the American League. The Detroit pitching staff ranks second in the AL with a 3.36 ERA.

Hoping to continue the club's success on the mound, right-hander Jack Flaherty (5-7, 4.03 ERA) will make his 15th start of the year on Friday. Last time out, Flaherty allowed a season-high seven earned runs across 4 2/3 innings in an 11-1 loss to Cincinnati on Saturday.

"(The Reds) did a good job of laying off some tough pitches, and then when they got some in the zone, they hit a few out of the ballpark," Hinch said. "I thought he got into the game really well, it was six up and six down. There was a leadoff walk in the third, and things unraveled from there."

In two career starts against Tampa Bay, Flaherty is 0-1 with a 7.00 ERA.

The Rays, who have won five of seven, will look for some consistency at the plate ahead of their first meeting with Detroit this season. Tampa Bay is coming off a four-game split with the Baltimore Orioles in which the Rays plated 21 runs, but just one apiece in the two losses.

Despite the erratic series at the plate, the Rays' .253 batting average ranks third in the AL, while Tampa Bay also boasts the league's fourth-highest scoring offense (346 runs). Perhaps the team's most telling stat is the big-league-leading 101 stolen bases, sparked by Jose Caballero's major-league best 28.

"You're not living and dying by the home run ball," Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe said. "You're not living and dying by having four hits in an inning. ... We can bunt a guy home and score with good baserunning. It's a dangerous thing to have as an offense when you have so many ways you can score."

Tampa Bay's Shane Baz (6-3, 4.54 ERA) is scheduled to make his 15th start of the season in the series opener. The 26-year-old right-hander is coming off one of his best starts of the season, when he threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings in a 9-0 road victory over the New York Mets on Sunday.

Set to make the 38th start of his career, Baz will face the Tigers for the first time.

--Field Level Media