The Detroit Tigers were on a roll entering Thursday night, and they had a chance to finish the first half on a high note. After beating the Athletics 6-2 on Tuesday night, Detroit was scheduled to meet Oakland again at 6:40 p.m. ET in the series finale at Comerica Park in Game 93.
Framber Valdez was set to start for the Detroit Tigers, while Jack Perkins was scheduled to take the ball for the Athletics. Detroit was looking for its fifth win of July and its seven of the last eight games as it tried to complete a home sweep before the All-Star break.
Valdez gives Detroit a steady front-line start
Valdez entered the matchup with a 2.45 ERA and a 4.03 FIP across 22 innings, allowing nine runs, 18 hits and two home runs in 11 frames. Thursday marked his 7th start of the 2026 campaign, and Detroit needed another solid outing from him to keep its recent momentum going.
The Tigers have been playing cleaner baseball during this stretch, and Valdez's job is simple in these spots: get deep enough to hand the game over with a lead or at least keep the club close. With the standings pressure of the All-Star break approaching, every game has carried a little more weight.
Perkins gets another rotation look for Athletics
Perkins came in with a 4-6 record and a 4.29 ERA, though the deeper numbers told a more mixed story. He had posted a 5.46 ERA, 2.62 FIP and 1.21 WHIP across 28 innings, with 34 strikeouts and 14 walks. He had also allowed seven home runs in 26 2/3 frames, a sign that the long ball had been a real problem.
One notable wrinkle for Oakland was that Perkins had moved into the rotation after working as a reliever. That kind of transition can be difficult to manage on the fly, especially against a Detroit team that has been getting production in the right spots and stacking wins over the last week.
For the Tigers, the bigger picture was straightforward: finish the series, secure the sweep and carry momentum into the All-Star break. For the Athletics, it was a chance to slow down a Detroit team that has been finding ways to win in different ways.
