Tigers at Athletics
The Oakland Athletics have unfinished business to tend to before kicking off a three-game set against the visiting Detroit Tigers on Friday night. The Athletics can match a franchise record for consecutive victories over one opponent when they resume a suspended game from May 19 in Detroit before playing the series opener against the worst team in the majors.
If Oakland holds its 5-3 lead in the top of the seventh inning of the suspended contest, it will mark its 16th straight victory over Tigers and match the club mark of 16 wins in a row over the New York Yankees (1989-91). It will also go down as part of an 11-game winning streak in May for the Athletics, who scored seven runs in their final two at-bats Thursday for a 10-6 victory and a three-game sweep over the Los Angeles Angels. Jurickson Profar has 10 RBIs over the last seven games for Oakland, which is one game ahead of Cleveland for the second wild card. Detroit, which is trying to avoid matching its longest losing streak against one opponent (Minnesota, 2002-03), ended a four-game slide with a 6-4 victory at Kansas City on Thursday.
TV: 10:07 p.m. ET, FS Detroit, NBCS California (Oakland)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Tigers RH Spencer Turnbull (3-14, 4.45 ERA) vs. Athletics RH Homer Bailey (12-8, 4.96)
Turnbull is trying to avoid tying a pair of dubious team records -- becoming the first Detroit pitcher to start 14 defeats in a row and the first Tigers hurler to reach 15 losses since Justin Verlander in 2008. The rookie's rocky season continued versus Minnesota last time out when he was tagged for six runs and eight hits over 4 2/3 innings to lose his fifth straight start and 10th consecutive decision. Turnball was rocked for six runs (one earned) over four innings in Detroit on May 16.
Bailey had his three-start winning streak halted at Yankee Stadium in his last outing, settling for a no-decision despite a season-high nine strikeouts and allowing two runs on four hits over 5 2/3 innings. He had yielded a combined four runs over 18 2/3 innings in his previous three turns and is 5-2 in nine starts with Oakland since he was acquired from Kansas City. Miguel Cabrera is 2-for-8 off Bailey, who was 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA versus Detroit this season while with the Royals.
WALK-OFFS
1. Athletics RHP Yusmeiro Petit is expected to miss the series after leaving the team for personal reasons.
2. The suspended game included a homer by former Tigers OF Nicholas Castellanos, since traded to the Chicago Cubs.
3. Athletics RF Stephen Piscotty, currently on the disabled list, had three RBIs in the suspended game.