Troy Melton was scheduled to make his eighth start of the season against the Athletics at Comerica Park on Tuesday, and he entered the matchup with a 4-1 record, a 2.05 ERA and a 0.80 WHIP.
For the Detroit Tigers, that was a strong place to be for a young starter who had already piled up 32 strikeouts in 44 innings. Melton had also shown he could keep the ball in the yard and limit damage, which stood out even more against a Tigers team trying to stay in control of a three-game series after opening it with a 6-2 win.
Melton's recent form
Melton's previous start may have been the clearest sign that he was settling in. He held the New York Yankees scoreless through 6 1/3 innings, allowed two hits and struck out seven. That came after he had already thrown three scoreless relief innings against the Athletics last August, giving him a little more familiarity with the matchup.
The fact that this was his first game off the injured list added another layer to the outing. Detroit was giving him a chance to build on a season that had started cleanly, with his run prevention and efficiency matching the type of profile the Tigers needed in the middle of the rotation.
What the matchup meant
The Athletics were sending Jeffrey Springs to the mound after his last start against the Los Angeles Dodgers, when he allowed six runs on eight hits and four walks over 5 1/3 innings. That contrast made the pitching matchup worth watching, especially with the Athletics dealing with the difference between their home conditions and the more controlled environment at Comerica Park.
For Detroit, the key question was simple: could Melton keep doing what he had been doing? Through seven starts, the answer had been yes. He had been hard to square up, had limited traffic on the bases and had kept the Tigers in games while they worked through the season's second half.
Against an Athletics lineup that included Tyler Soderstrom, Zack Gelof, Max Muncy, Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, Lawrence Butler and Jacob Wilson, Melton's job was to carry that same early-season form into another start and keep Detroit in position to control the series.
