Young pitchers face off as Tigers, White Sox close series

The Detroit Tigers do not have an imposing lineup and that has been clear over the past week.

They have scored just six points in their last six games and lost all but one match. They will look to get their bats going in the finale of a three-game home series against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday.

Detroit has scored one or no points in 21 games this season. The Tigers narrowly avoided a shutout in a 5-1 loss to the White Sox on Saturday.

Facing Drew Thorpe, a rookie making his third career start, they managed just two hits in six innings. The Tigers scored against the bullpen in the eighth to prevent a shutout.

“We’re just not trying to string a bunch of hits together,” said outfielder Matt Vierling, who scored the team’s lone run. “I feel like we’re in a lull offensively. Thorpe had a good change today and we struggled to adapt to that.”

Reese Olson (1-8, 3.39 ERA) will start the series finale for Detroit. Olson gave up 17 earned runs in his first three starts in June, but earned a better fate in his most recent outing. He pitched six scoreless innings in Atlanta on Monday, giving up four hits and no walks while recording eight strikeouts. He ended up with a no-decision in a match that the Tigers ultimately lost 2-1.

“I was able to control everything better,” Olson, 24, said. “I came out better in the count. It’s just like I said, it comes down to execution and (I) executed everything better (Monday).”

Manager AJ Hinch said Olson was mixing his pitches better.

“Reese can handle lineups with so many pitch combinations that he doesn’t have to fall in love with any one approach,” Hinch said. “If he gets too repetitive with his stuff, he could get into trouble. (Monday) it looked like he was in control of most of the at-bats.”

Olson will face Chicago for the first time this season. He started against them three times last season, with a 1-2 record and a 1.93 ERA.

The White Sox start rookie right-hander Jonathan Cannon (1-1, 3.34 ERA). He earned his first career win in his most recent outing on Tuesday, holding Houston scoreless for 8 2/3 innings with seven hits allowed. He walked just one batter and struck out four.

“I will definitely never forget that night,” Cannon, 23, said afterwards. “Hopefully the first of many more.”

Catcher Korey Lee said it was only a matter of time before Cannon delivered that kind of performance.

“He knows he belongs here,” Lee said. “It’s one of the obstacles you have to overcome when you play in this league. You’re meant to be here for a reason. He’s 100 percent meant to be here. I have complete confidence in him. He has full confidence in me.” “

In his previous start on June 12, Cannon held the Seattle Mariners to one run and four hits with seven strikeouts in seven innings, but he played no part in the decision in the 2–1 loss.

He will make his sixth Major League start on Sunday and his first against the Tigers.

“Looking at some videos from some of my previous outings, I like my stuff a lot better where it is now,” Cannon said.

–Field-level media