It’s official – the Detroit Tigers starting pitching rotation is struggling.
Manager Ron Gardenhire had a frank response when asked about his team’s pitching following their 18th consecutive loss at the hands of the division rival Cleveland Indians, a 10-5 setback that was powered by a six-run fourth inning with Ivan Nova on the mound.
It definitely wasn’t Nova’s finest outing. He gave up two long balls while also surrendering eight earned runs on five hits, two walks, and one wild pitch. He now sports a 8.52 ERA on the season, while Detroit’s starting staff as a whole stands at 7.47.
However, despite his and Matthew Boyd‘s struggles, GM Al Avila has made it clear he won’t be bringing up star prospect Casey Mize any time soon.
The Tigers, who have dropped three straight games, are 9-8 on the year. They get back at it Saturday against the Indians at 1:10 PM.
BONUS CONTENT: Matthew Boyd explains struggles, promises to be better
It’s safe to say that Detroit Tigers pitcher Matthew Boyd isn’t having the start to the 2020 season that he or his team envisioned.
His outing last night against the Chicago White Sox was just the latest in a series of struggles for Boyd, who now sports a ghastly 10.24 ERA to go with his 0-2 record and 22 earned runs given up in a total of 19 1/2 innings.
However, he’s determined to not let it last. After allowing four runs in the 5th inning that would power Chicago to the win, he made a promise to his teammates and fans:
“I promise everybody out there, including my team, I will be better from this,” Boyd said after yesterday’s setback. “I’m going to continue to work. I’m not giving up on anything. What you’re seeing is a product of just understanding what my game is, what has brought me success and who I am as a pitcher.
“It’s not sitting there, throwing darts at the wall (and) seeing what works. It’s very guided, very methodical. We know how we’re going about this.”
