The good feelings of sweeping A.J. Hinch‘s former squad in Houston are all but a distant memory right now. The Detroit Tigers followed up brooming the Astros by getting swept themselves in Oakland by the Athletics, which included two straight shutout losses.
Today's game ended especially with disappointment, following a missed fly ball in the sun from Victor Reyes that set the stage for a critical error from Jeimer Candelario resulting in the game-winning run from Oakland's Matt Olson.
Following the game, manager A.J. Hinch summed up the four-game sweep in rather simple terms.
“Everything that kind of could go wrong, did go wrong in this four-game series,” he said.
However, he's not going to be looking back, but forward.
“I don't carry good or bad forward with me,” We try to win every day, and we didn't do that in Oakland. The series early in the year are long gone, and the Houston series is long gone….I don't make assessments on a road trip or homestead.”
Starting pitcher Matthew Boyd allowed four hits and two runs in 7 1/3 innings, while rookie Akil Baddoo's hot streak has considerably cooled, as he's now gone 0-14 with ten strikeouts.
“He's given us a chance to win every time he pitches,” Hinch said of Boyd. “When you hand the ball to a guy at the start of a game, you ask him to set the tone and pitch well, pitch deep into the game. He's checked all of those boxes…he's a Major League pitcher who gives his team a chance to win.”
Detroit's next series against the Pittsburgh Pirates will get underway Tuesday evening from Comerica Park.
– – Quotes via Bally Sports Detroit Link – –