Tigers' Framber Valdez strives to turn around fortunes vs. A's

Framber Valdez has made more starts than any other Detroit Tigers pitcher this season.

That's not necessarily a good thing.

The Tigers signed Valdez to a three-year, $115 million contract late in the offseason to solidify their staff. The signing hasn't gone according to plan -- Detroit has lost nine of the last 11 games in which the left-hander has started.

Valdez (4-6, 4.29 ERA) will make his 19th start of the season on Thursday night when the Tigers aim for a sweep of a three-game home series against the Athletics.

Valdez's ERA is the highest since his second season with Houston in 2019. In his most recent start, he allowed five runs and nine hits in five innings in a 10-4 loss to Texas last Thursday.

"They could read my pitches very well, so I need to work better in attacking," Valdez said through an interpreter. "Go back to my mode of attacking early in the count. It's something I've got to work on."

Valdez hasn't been able to put away hitters like he did in recent seasons. He struck out 187 batters in 192 innings last season but has only 78 in 100 2/3 innings this season. He's fanned only three batters over his last two outings.

The new ABS challenge system has been a detriment to Valdez, who relies on getting batters to chase his breaking pitches.

"It has pushed me to stay a little higher in the zone," Valdez said. "They have hard evidence now that those pitches are outside the zone. It has pushed me to make adjustments to keep my pitches higher than what I'm used to."

Valdez has made 17 career appearances against the A's, posting an 8-4 record and a 2.57 ERA.

He'll be opposed Thursday by right-hander Jack Perkins (2-4, 6.75 ERA), who is coming off his worst outing of the season. Perkins surrendered seven runs and seven hits while walking four in 3 2/3 innings in a 12-5 loss to Miami on Friday.

The Marlins scored six runs in the first inning.

"Tough first inning," A's manager Mark Kotsay said. "We know this team can hit, and when you leave balls middle across [the plate], you're going to pay the price."

Perkins' first start this month followed a five-outing June in which he posted a 6.65 ERA.

"I'm trying to figure this out. I'm trying to get on a roll here," Perkins said. "Not too sure what's going on. ... You give up that many runs early, it can quickly become a bullpen game."

Perkins will face the Tigers for the first time in his career.

Detroit has won four straight games, including the first two contests of the series, while the A's have lost five in a row.

The Tigers have an injury concern for a key player. All-Star catcher Dillon Dingler left Wednesday's 6-1 win in the second inning after getting struck on his right hand by a foul ball. Initial X-rays were negative, but he'll get more tests on Thursday.

A's All-Star first baseman Nick Kurtz also departed in the second inning due to an illness.

--Field Level Media