Series Preview: Angels open up road trip against struggling Tigers
Sergio Gonzalez
Host · Writer
Following a lengthy homestand that saw them finish the stretch on a high note, the Los Angeles open a road trip against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday, looking refreshed as they head into a matchup against a struggling opponent.
The Angels salvaged a poor stretch at home with their first series sweep of the year against the Texas Rangers over the weekend, their starting pitching looking promising as they look to build momentum into the road stretch.
Below, you can find the team previews, including where to watch, game details, injury reports, and odds.
TEAM PREVIEWS:
Angels (20-34, 5th in AL West): For the first time in a long time, the Angels looked like a complete ballclub over the course of their sweep of the Rangers. The offense challenged and did damage against strong starting pitchers, a sight that had not been seen in weeks.
Zach Neto looks to be back to form after two multi-hit games, including a multi-homer game on Friday night against Jacob deGrom. That offensive success is huge for the shortstop, who had been struggling at the plate mightily over the last month.
As the roster continues to turn over with new faces, one of them stood out most for his heroics on Friday. Wade Meckler, an Anaheim native, was slotted into the outfield and made his name known instantly with a defensive gem and a homer in his first at bat of the season on Friday. He looked sharp throughout the weekend at the plate, going 4-for-7.
In the infield, the Angels have seen continuous production from their bats over the recent week. Oswald Peraza has remained consistent at the plate while taking over third base with the recent injury of Yoán Moncada. Nolan Schanuel was held out of first base after his calf was nagging him on Sunday, but has been looking sharp at the plate in hitting .333 over his last seven games. He is currently day-to-day.
Against the Tigers, the Angels will start three righty arms in each game. Jack Kochanowicz and José Soriano will face the struggling Detroit offense on Tuesday and Wednesday, while Grayson Rodriguez will make his third start of the year in Thursday’s series finale.
Tigers (21-33, 5th in AL West): Detroit is nowhere near where they expected to be at this point of the season. After back-to-back years of postseason appearances and strong flashes of what could be, nobody expected them to sit over 10 games under .500 before the month of June.
One of the early perceptions of the team was that they’d own a strong rotation. That looked to be the case when they signed Framber Valdez to a three-year deal and brought in Justin Verlander for a last dance with the club. Instead, struggles held back the two as Verlander sits on the injured list and Valdez has yet to find the same success he had with the Houston Astros.
The injury bug has also bit the Tigers drastically in the early stages of the season. Tarik Skubal currently sits on the injury list along with Verlander, having avoided a further serious injury. Kerry Carpenter, Gleyber Torres and Javier Báez are each sidelined as well, all big contributors to their offense that made a big postseason push last year.
Not much has gone the Tigers way, and their struggles have worsened in the midst of May. After winning the second game of a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday, they snapped a losing streak of eight consecutive games.
Venue:
Comerica Park
Game 1 Date:
Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Time:
3:40 PM PDT
Probable Pitchers:
LAA: Jack Kochanowicz (2-3, 4.55, 57.1 IP, 41 SO)
DET: Keider Montero (2-3, 3.83, 49.1 IP, 32 SO)
Where to watch:
LAA: ABTV, presented by Pechanga Resort Casino
DET: Detroit SportsNet
Where to listen:
LAA: KLAA 830
DET: WXYT 97.1 FM, LaZ WDTW 1310AM/107.9FM
Game 2 Date:
Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Time:
3:40 PM PDT
Probable Pitchers:
LAA: José Soriano (6-3, 2.44 ERA, 66.1 IP, 74 SO)
DET: Casey Mize (2-3, 2.47 ERA, 43.2 IP, 43 SO)
Where to watch:
LAA: ABTV, presented by Pechanga Resort Casino
DET: Detroit SportsNet
Where to listen:
LAA: KLAA 830
DET: WXYT 97.1 FM, LaZ WDTW 1310AM/107.9FM
Game 3 Date:
Thursday, May 28, 2026
Time:
10:10 AM PDT
Probable Pitchers:
LAA: Grayson Rodriguez (1-1, 10.61 ERA, 9.1 IP, 9 SO)
DET: Jack Flaherty (0-6, 5.94 ERA, 47 IP, 55 SO)
Where to watch:
LAA: ABTV, presented by Pechanga Resort Casino
DET: Detroit SportsNet
Where to listen:
LAA: KLAA 830
DET: WXYT 97.1 FM, LaZ WDTW 1310AM/107.9FM
INJURY REPORT
LAA: 1B Nolan Schanuel (Day-to-day), RP Drew Pomeranz (15-day IL), Yoán Moncada (10-day IL), SP Yusei Kikuchi (15-day IL), RP Ben Joyce (60-day IL), C Travis d’Arnaud (10-day IL), RP Robert Stephenson (60-day IL), 3B Anthony Rendon (60-day IL)
DET: SP Tarik Skubal (15-day IL), SP Justin Verlander (60-day IL), 2B Gleyber Torres (10-day IL), OF Kerry Carpenter (10-day IL), INF/OF Javier Báez (10-day IL), RP Brant Hurter (15-day IL), RP Burch Smith (15-day IL), RP Ty Madden (15-day IL), SP Jackson Jobe (60-day IL), RP Beau Brieske (60-day IL), RP Bailey Horn (60-day IL), SP Reese Olson (60-day IL), SS Trey Sweeney (60-day IL), OF Parker Meadows (60-day IL)
ODDS (DraftKings)
Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Los Angeles Angels:
Run Line: +1.5, -187
Money Line: +113
Total: O 8.5, -119
Detroit Tigers:
Run Line: -1.5, +153
Money Line: -136
Total: U 8.5, -102
