Angels at Tigers
Mike Trout has been on quite the power surge with four homers in his last five contests heading into Tuesday's second tilt of a four-game series against the host Detroit Tigers (24-29). Trout went deep for a majors-best 18th time on Monday afternoon, but the Los Angeles Angels (29-25) failed to present Mike Scioscia with his 1,600th career managerial victory after a 9-3 setback.
Trout has six homers among his 12 hits to go along with 12 runs scored in his last 10 contests for the Angels, who dropped to 3-4 on their season-high 10-game road trip. The 26-year-old slugger's good fortune is nowhere to be found when facing Tuesday starter Michael Fulmer, against whom he is 0-for-8 with four strikeouts. James McCann and Leonys Martin also flexed their muscles on Monday, with the former launching a grand slam in the third inning while the latter added a solo shot in the seventh to send Detroit to its fourth win in five outings. Jeimer Candelario enters Tuesday's tilt having reached base in 22 straight games for the Tigers, accounting for the longest active streak in the majors.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FS West (Los Angeles), FS Detroit
PITCHING MATCHUP: Angels RH Nick Tropeano (2-3, 3.86 ERA) vs. Tigers RH Michael Fulmer (2-3, 4.08)
Tropeano answered his shortest outing of the season with the longest one of his career on Thursday, venturing 7 1/3 innings while allowing just one run on four hits while striking out six in an 8-1 victory at Toronto. "Nick was terrific," Scioscia told reporters of the 27-year-old. "I think as the game went on into probably the mid-innings, his fastball got some more life to it, so he got stronger as the game went on. I thought he had a good combination, using all his off-speed pitches." Tropeano will be making his first career start against Detroit, although he has kept Martin (0-for-5) in their meetings at the plate.
Fulmer recorded his first win since April 7 on Wednesday after yielding one run on four hits over 5 2/3 innings of a 4-1 triumph at Minnesota. The 2016 AL Rookie of the Year tossed a season-high 112 pitches and permitted his third walk of the encounter to his last batter before receiving the hook, one out shy of a quality start. Kole Calhoun (2-for-11) and Andrelton Simmons (1-for-9) have struggled mightily against Fulmer, who owns a 2-2 mark with a 3.38 ERA in four career starts versus the Angels.
WALK-OFFS
1. Detroit RF Nicholas Castellanos is 13-for-34 with six runs scored and four RBIs in his last eight contests.
2. Former Tiger 2B Ian Kinsler had a single in the series opener after going 1-for-27 in his previous seven games.
3. Detroit 1B-C John Hicks has hit safely in five straight contests to improve to 29-for-94 this month.