Tigers at Braves
Austin Riley experienced a May to remember, slugging seven homers in his first 15 career games, and the Atlanta Braves outfielder enters Sunday’s home series finale against the Detroit Tigers after starting June in a familiar way. Riley hit a two-run homer in Saturday’s 10-5 victory, giving the 22-year-old eight homers, 22 RBIs and a 1.150 OPS in 63 at-bats as Atlanta - which plated just 10 runs during a three-game losing streak - scored in each of its final five at-bats.
Riley isn’t the only Braves player riding a hot power streak, as first baseman Freddie Freeman hit his 14th homer of the season Saturday - his seventh in the past 15 games - and shortstop Dansby Swanson moved within three of his career high with his 11th homer. Detroit’s three-game winning streak ended despite another strong game from Niko Goodrum, who followed up his 5-for-5 performance Friday with a double and a triple Saturday while making his third consecutive start at shortstop. Left fielder Christin Stewart went 3-for-5 with two RBIs, giving him hits in eight of his past 10 games and a .342 average in that span. The Tigers played without first baseman Miguel Cabrera, who left Friday’s game with right knee soreness and underwent an MRI on Saturday.
TV: 1:20 p.m. ET, FS Detroit, FS South (Atlanta)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Tigers LH Matthew Boyd (5-4, 2.85 ERA) vs. Braves RH Julio Teheran (3-4, 3.53)
Boyd has not allowed a run in his past two starts, covering 12 innings (the longest streak for a Detroit pitcher this season) with two walks and 15 strikeouts. The 28-year-old beat Baltimore on Tuesday, striking out eight while allowing six hits across six innings, and in 12 starts this season has surrendered two earned runs or fewer seven times. Boyd, who makes his first career appearance against Atlanta, has a 1.02 WHIP (fifth in the American League entering Saturday) while averaging 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings (seventh in the AL).
Teheran makes his first start of June after a stellar May in which he posted a 0.98 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in five starts, holding opponents to a .128 batting average while not allowing more than one earned run in any outing. The 28-year-old matched a season high with four walks May 26 at St. Louis, giving up three runs in total (two unearned) on two hits in five innings. Teheran’s lone career appearance against Detroit came on Oct. 2, 2016, in which he pitched seven shutout innings on the final day of the season in the last game played at Turner Field.
WALK-OFFS
1. Detroit UTIL Brandon Dixon recorded his second consecutive multi-hit game Saturday, and is batting .400 with four doubles, two homers and seven RBIs during his nine-game hitting streak.
2. Braves RHP Luke Jackson struck out five hitters in 1 2/3 innings Saturday to get his eighth save, and has 21 strikeouts with only one walk in his past 11 2/3 innings.
3. A victory Sunday would give Atlanta its first interleague series victory at home since taking two of three from the Tigers at the end of 2016.