Nationals at Tigers
The surging Washington Nationals look to stay perfect on their current road trip and match their longest winning streak of the season when they continue a three-game series at the Detroit Tigers on Saturday. A 3-1 victory in Friday's series opener gave the Nationals four wins in a row to start the trip and 22 victories in their last 31 games overall.
Juan Soto hammered his 14th home run and scored twice to back a combined six-hitter as Washington moved over .500 (41-40) for the first time since it was 9-8 on April 18. The Tigers are headed in the other direction with eight straight losses, six of which have come by two runs or fewer. They've scored just nine total runs over their last six games and will try to reverse that trend against Austin Voth, who starts Saturday for the Nationals. Lefty Gregory Soto goes for Detroit, which is a staggering 2-21 at home since May 9.
TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1, MASN (Washington), FS Detroit
PITCHING MATCHUP: Nationals RH Austin Voth (0-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. Tigers LH Gregory Soto (0-2, 8.66)
Voth was recalled from the minors Sunday and was superb in his season debut for the Nationals, yielding two runs and four hits with seven strikeouts and no walks over six innings against Atlanta. He appeared in four games last season, spinning five scoreless frames in one of his two starts. The University of Washington product went 3-5 with a 4.40 ERA in 12 starts for Triple-A Fresno prior to his promotion.
Soto is being recalled from Triple-A Toledo to make his sixth start for the Tigers and his first since June 15, when he blanked Cleveland over four innings. The 24-year-old rookie has yet to last beyond four frames in any of his outings in the majors. He is 0-3 with a 5.50 ERA in nine games (eight starts) in the minors this year.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Tigers placed RHP Spencer Turnbull (shoulder) on the 10-day injured list Friday and recalled OF Victor Reyes, who was optioned back to Toledo after the game to make room for Soto.
2. Nationals INF Howie Kendrick had two hits and an RBI on Friday to raise his average in 65 games to .332.
3. Detroit will honor its 1984 World Series champs on Saturday.