Game 40 Preview: Tigers try to snap four-game losing streak on Saturday

We have reached the magical 40-game mark of the season, the point at which one should have a good idea of what a major league team is made of. However, with the plague of injuries that the Detroit Tigers have sustained so far, it is still pretty difficult to get a clear view of what the 2026 edition of the Olde English D has to offer at this juncture.

Friday night’s series opener saw the Motor City Kitties cough up a late-inning lead en route to a 4-3 walkoff win for the Royals. Keider Montero gave his team six innings of one-run ball and the offense slugged five doubles, but Kyle Finnegan and Brant Hurter could not hold on in the end.

Still dealing with a plethora of injuries, the Tigers turn to right-hander Ty Madden on Saturday night in hopes of providing a few strong innings in what will probably be a bullpen game. The 26-year-old gave Detroit five scoreless frames in relief in his only appearance this year against the Boston Red Sox; he allowed four hits and zero walks while striking out seven, not to mention his insane groundball rate of 69.2%.

For the Royals, fellow righty Michael Wacha will climb the hill for the first time against the Tigers this season. Last year, he faced Detroit four times: two of them were quality starts; the third was solid, but 1/3 of an inning short of the QS; the fourth was a bit of a stinker.

Five of the 34-year-old veteran’s seven starts in 2026 have been good enough for the QS, while the other two saw him post a combined 8.71 ERA and 5.46 FIP over 10 1/3 innings of work. Otherwise, he has not given up more than two runs and thrown no fewer than six frames in the other five.