The Detroit Tigers evened up their three-game road series against the San Francisco Giants with an 8-0 victory on Saturday evening at Oracle Park. Jackson Jobe threw five scoreless innings in his triumphant return from Tommy John surgery and the offense used a six-run seventh to blow things open.
For the final episode of the nine-game West Coast road trip, right-hander Troy Melton will climb the hill looking to seize the series. The 25-year-old’s two games have both been seven-inning, shutout efforts,
allowing 6 hits and four walks while striking out nine for a 2.66 FIP and a 0.71 WHIP — good enough to earn his sixth and seventh wins of the season.
While Melton continues his impressive run this summer, his strikeout numbers peaked in mid-July when he K’d nine batters in two straight games over 11 innings of work. Over his last three starts, however, his numbers have fallen to five, five and four, respectively, stretching across 19 frames, but he is still getting the job done.
For the Giants, fellow righty Logan Webb climbs the hill in the midst of what is a bit of a down year by his standards. The 29-year-old, who accrued at least 4.1 fWAR per season over the past five years, suffered through a rough July, in which he posted a bloated 6.59 ERA and extremely mediocre 4.76 FIP over 28 2/3 innings, giving up 29 hits (four home runs) and eight walks while striking out just 17 and hitting a couple of batters for a 1-2 record over that stretch.
However, Webb opened up August with a strong showing against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, tossing six frames of shutout ball on five hits and a walk while striking out eight. Has the three-time All-Star turned the corner? Find out on Sunday afternoon in the series finale.
Detroit Tigers (57-60) vs. San Francisco Giants (49-68)
Time (ET): 4:05 p.m. ET
Place: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California
SB Nation Site: McCovey Chronicles
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 118: RHP Troy Melton (7-1, 1.58 ERA) vs. RHP Logan Webb (7-7, 3.74 ERA)
MELTON
WEBB
