Detroit Free Press

BALTIMORE — Whenever former Western Michigan pitcher Keegan Akin takes the mound, the Baltimore Orioles seem to always lose. Since June 11, the Orioles have lost in each of Akin’s 10 appearances, including seven starts. The Detroit Tigers made the most of his troubles Tuesday, chasing him in the third inning on the way to a 9-4 win at Oriole

Miguel Cabrera’s climb to 500 homers — or, well, 498, as that’s where he stands entering Tuesday’s game in Baltimore — was remarkably steady for the first dozen years of his career. After homering in his first career game in 2003 — a walk-off as a 21-year-old, no less —Cabrera reached 100 homers in Game

Detroit Tigers left-hander Joey Wentz is looking forward to his major league debut, but ensuring a prepared arrival is of the utmost importance. Acquired from the Atlanta Braves in the Shane Greene trade in July 2019, Wentz underwent Tommy John surgery eight months later. From the sidelines, he watched Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal and Matt Manning make their

Bill Dow |  Special to Detroit Free Press As part of his series on former Detroit sports figures, Bill Dow caught up with former 1984 Detroit Tigers World Champion centerfielder Chet Lemon. How we remember him The outstanding centerfielder for the Tigers during most of the 1980s played a key role in helping Detroit capture

In the battle of the bullpens, the Detroit Tigers jumped out to a three-run lead they would squander an inning later. The Tigers’ bats cooled off on Sunday as they fell to Cleveland, 7-5, in the finale of the three-game series at Progressive Field. “We didn’t do enough on either side of the ball to

The Detroit Tigers optioned infielder Zack Short to Triple-A Toledo after Sunday’s 7-5 loss in Cleveland, paving the way for a return for utilityman Niko Goodrum. Goodrum, out with a calf injury, is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list in time for Tuesday’s series opener against the Orioles. Goodrum went 5-for-26 with two walks,

Jonathan Schoop’s contract extension prior to free agency sends the message the Detroit Tigers are happy to build around their current roster. “It’s a great step for us to get to keep players here that we can build with. Jonathan took a great step forward in solidifying our lineup and giving us something to build from,”

Jonathan Schoop looked out at Comerica Park. He leaned against the backstop behind home plate, ready to play a July 22 game for the Detroit Tigers, the most recent of four teams in his nine-year career. He ended up talking plenty about his future ahead of the July 30 trade deadline. Once traded from the team that

Left-handed pitcher Tyler Alexander has six starts this season, but Detroit Tigers manager AJ Hinch doesn’t consider him a starter — call him an opener instead. On Saturday, the 27-year-old answered Hinch’s call against Cleveland, leading the Tigers to a 2-1 victory at Progressive Field. “I went five today, you have to call me a starter,” Alexander

Hours before the second game of the series against the Detroit Tigers, Cleveland called up an old friend. The team called up catcher Wilson Ramos from Triple-A Columbus to fill in for Roberto Perez, who was placed on the injured list with shoulder inflammation and back issues. Ramos was designated for assignment by the Tigers

Jonathan Schoop is officially a part of the Detroit Tigers‘ future. The second baseman (who has also played first base this season) agreed to a two-year contract extension, making him a member of the Tigers through the 2023 season. The deal is for $15 million with an opt-out after 2022, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.

Dana Gauruder |  Special to Detroit Free Press There are going to be nights when Matt Manning shows why the Detroit Tigers believe he’ll be a fixture in the rotation. There will also be nights when Manning reminds everyone that he would still be pitching in Toledo if the staff hadn’t been riddled by injuries. Manning

A couple of rookies fought last week at Detroit Lions camp. It was more of a skirmish, truthfully, one head coach Dan Campbell let play out for a moment before stepping into to throttle everything back. “Nobody backed down from each other and they got better from it, so I was happy,” Campbell said the next day.

Dana Gauruder |  Special to the Detroit Free Press Miguel Cabrera didn’t get any closer to 500 on Friday. Neither did his team. Cabrera remained two homers shy of the 500 career mark, while the Detroit Tigers dropped six games below .500 with a 6-1 loss in Cleveland. Cabrera singled and walked in three official at-bats. The Tigers were

If Detroit Tigers rookie Tarik Skubal wanted to make a statement, he did just that Thursday against the Boston Red Sox. He struggled in July, recording a 5.86 ERA over 27⅔ innings and five starts. The underling numbers were strong — three walks and 23 strikeouts — but he conceded nine home runs, including three

Detroit Tigers left fielder Robbie Grossman departed from Thursday’s game vs. the Boston Red Sox after being hit by a pitch. Grossman was struck near his left elbow with a 90 mph cutter from Red Sox starter Martin Perez in the second inning. Athletic trainer Doug Teter and manager AJ Hinch jumped out of the dugout to check on him. They

Right-handed reliever Kyle Funkhouser won’t quite have the role as Casey Mize or Tarik Skubal, the 24-year-olds with innings limits this season — but the Detroit Tigers are still being cautious with one of their most promising bullpen arms. Manager AJ Hinch wants Mize, Skubal, Funkhouser and other pitchers without an abundance of big-league experience to pitch through September, but he doesn’t want to risk injuries by overtaxing

Detroit Tigers rookie Casey Mize maneuvered through difficult jams for most of Wednesday’s start. The 24-year-old worked around a leadoff walk in the first inning, a leadoff single in the third and a leadoff double in the fourth. He seemed on his way to giving the Tigers a chance to beat the Boston Red Sox, after doing so

Miguel Cabrera sauntered to home plate on Wednesday night — two homers shy of 500 — and Comerica Park came alive. “Let’s go Miggy!” somebody screamed. “Wooo!” “Let’s go, baby!” Beyond the left-field fence, up on the concourse, under the scoreboard, Sandy Schondelmayer, a Tigers season-ticket holder, leaned against a railing next to a display

Detroit Tigers catcher Eric Haase was in the middle of mowing his lawn on Monday when general manager Al Avila called him. “Hey, you’ve been chosen for (American League) Rookie of the Month,” Avila said. “OK, great,” Haase said. “That’s awesome.” Haase hung up the phone, put his headphones back in his ears and continued