Detroit Tigers’ Jeimer Candelario, left, celebrates with Javier Baez after both scored on Robbie Grossman’s two-run double during the third inning in the first game of the doubleheader at the Oakland Coliseum on Thu Jul 21, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND- The Oakland A’s (38-55) started the second half of the 2022 season by hosting the Detroit Tigers (32-62) for a rare doubleheader Thursday afternoon. It is a matchup of two teams not having a great year. The Tigers are in fourth place in the AL Central.

The A’s are in the AL West cellar with the worst record in the American League. Thursday’s first game features two left-handed pitchers. Left Zach Logue was hoping to tame the Tigers. Detroit sent Tarik Skubal to the hill. Logue gave the A’s six innings.

His line was six innings, five hits allowed, three runs, and only two earned. Skubal did not allow a hit in his first four innings of work. He worked six innings and allowed two hits and one run. He was the winning pitcher.

The Tigers put two runs on the board in the top of the third. Tigers’ third baseman Jeimer Candelario led off the frame with a single. Logue retired the next two hitters. Tigers’ DH Javier Baez singled, sending Candelario to second. Former Athletic Robbie Grossman doubled over Chad Pinder’s head in leftfield to drive in bother runners. The Tigers lead 2-0 midway through the third inning.

The Tigers did a little more damage in the fifth. With two out, center-fielder Riley Greene singled. Greene advanced to third on a fielding error by A’s second baseman Sheldon Neuse. Robbie Grossman doubled to drive in Greene with Detroit’s third run. The run was unearned.

The Tigers lead 3-0. The A’s put their first run of the game on the board in their half of the fifth. Seth Brown’s pop-up into shallow left field was lost in the sun by third baseman Jeimer Candelario. The ball was untouched, and Brown was credited with a double.

He went to third on a passed ball. Stephen Piscotty’s sacrifice fly drove in Brown. Tarik Skubal had not allowed a hit until the fifth. The run was unearned.

Domingo Tapia was now pitching for Oakland in the seventh. The Tigers’ Jeimer Candelario blasted his seventh homer of the campaign over the wall in center field. Detroit leads 4-1. Alex Lange was now pitching for Detroit.

Seth Brown homered on an 0-2 pitch, leading off the bottom of the seventh. The A’s trail 4-2. The A’s put men on at first and third with one out but failed to score. The Tigers lead 4-2 after seven.

Detroit plated their fifth run of the game in the top of the eighth. Tapia walked Tigers’ catcher Eric Haase. Second baseman Johnathan Schoop doubled to drive in Haase. The A’s failed to score in the bottom of the inning. As the game heads into the ninth, the Tigers are in the driver’s seat with a three-run lead, 5-2.

The Tigers put two more on the board in the ninth. Tigers’ shortstop Zack Short walked to start the rally. Short stole second and scored on a single by Riley Greene. A single by Javier Baez and a walk to Robbie Grossman loaded the bases with no out.

Greene was out at home trying to score on a ground ball to A’s shortstop Nick Allen. Detroit challenged the call, but the call was upheld after the review. Johnathan Schopp drove in the Tigers’ second run of the inning with a sacrifice fly. The A’s went down in order 1-2-3 to end the game. Detroit wins 7-2.

Game Notes- with the loss, the A’s are 32-62. They are now 30 games under .500. The Tigers improved to 38-55.

The hitting star for Oakland was Seth Brown, with a double and a home run. Brown scored both of the A’s runs. The hitting stars for Detroit were Jeimer Candelario with a single and home run. Riley Greene had two hits, Javier Baez three, and Robbie Grossman two.

The line score for Detroit was seven runs, ten hits, and no errors. Oakland’s line was two runs, five hits, and one error.

The day’s second game will see Frankie Montas (3-9, 3.26ERA) going against the Tigers’ Garret Hill (1-1, 5.73 ERA).

The time of the game was 2:58.