Welcome back from the All-Star break, Detroit Tigers fans! AJ Hinch and Co. open up the “second half” of the 2026 campaign on the road against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim starting on Friday night. It will be a late start for those of us in the more easterly time zones — and will be even worse on Saturday night.
Taking the mound in the first game after the All-Star break for the Tigers is right-hander Troy Melton, who will make his ninth start of the season. The 25-year-old is riding a four-game
streak that saw him allow one or fewer runs, posting a 0.76 ERA and 2.68 FIP over that 23 2/3 frame stretch while increasing his strikeout totals in each appearance until reaching his career-high of nine in his most recent outing in just 5 2/3 innings.
For the home team, left-hander Reid Detmers will toe the rubber looking to turn things around after a rough couple of games heading into the break. The 27-year-old’s starts were brutal, posting a 10.00 ERA and 7.77 FIP over nine frames of work, allowing 14 hits (four home runs) and four walks while striking out 11 and throwing a pair of wild pitches.
Here is a look at how the two match up on paper as both teams open things back up at Angel Stadium.
Detroit Tigers (44-52) vs. Los Angeles Angels (38-59)
Time (ET): 9:38 p.m.
Place: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, California
SB Nation Site: N/A
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 97: RHP Troy Melton (5-1, 1.82 ERA) vs. LHP Reid Detmers (3-6, 4.39 ERA)
MELTON
DETMERS
