Detroit Tigers (11-10) vs. Minnesota Twins (7-12)

When: 2:10 p.m. Sunday.

Where: Target Field in Minneapolis.

TV: Bally Sports Detroit.

Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1). (Tigers radio affiliates).

Weather report: High of 62 degrees, mostly sunny, 10-20 mph winds.

Probable pitchers: Tigers RHP Casey Mize (0-0, 4.11 ERA) vs. Twins RHP Louie Varland (0-3, 8.36 ERA)

• Box score

Tigers lineup: TBD.

LET KERRY COOK: Kerry Carpenter: The one Detroit Tiger locked in and raking all season

Game notes: The Detroit Tigers were able to get off to a good start in the record department despite ranking near the bottom of almost every offensive metric. They did so with good starting pitching, a lights-out bullpen, and rock-solid defense all over the diamond.

In the last few games, the Tigers’ offense has seemed to finally start to wake up from their winter slumber, but the defense has caused major issues lately. The issue first flared up in the Tigers’ 5-4 loss to the Rangers on April 17 in which they committed three errors. The next day, the Tigers made three more errors against the Rangers again, eventually losing 9-7. In the current series against the Minnesota Twins, the Tigers have committed three more errors, including a very costly one by first baseman Spencer Torkelson that led to two runs on Saturday as the Tigers lost to the Twins, 4-3.

So if you do a little math, the Tigers have committed nine errors over the last four games. For the entire season, the Tigers have made 15 errors as a team, including the nine in the last four days.

Under manager A.J. Hinch, the Tigers are a team that prioritizes defense and with a few exceptions, there really aren’t a lot of weak links in the field. Unfortunately for the Tigers, one of those weak links is Torkelson, who has been responsible for two of the most costly errors in the last four games. Last year, Torkelson was worth minus-11 defensive runs saved at first base and entering Saturday’s game, he was already worth minus-3 DRS this season, as Our’ Evan Petzold wrote following the loss to the Twins. Still, Hinch remains confident in his young first baseman.

“Maybe he took his eye off the ball, but Tork’s fine,” Hinch said. “He obviously made a great play down the line on the pop up (in the seventh inning).”

After Sunday’s game, the Tigers head to Florida for a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays before an off-day Thursday and then a home game against the Kansas City Royal that will coincide with Day 2 of the NFL draft.

Live updates

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