DETROIT -- Michael Fulmer couldn't pitch the Tigers out of their losing streak, but his eight innings tied his season high as trade speculation builds into July. In the end, five singles in a three-run third inning proved to be his demise, sending Detroit to a 4-2 loss to the A's on Thursday afternoon and a four-game sweep at Comerica Park.
The Tigers' ninth straight defeat matches their longest losing streak from last season, set in September following a flurry of August trades. Detroit hasn't lost 10 in a row since September 2003.
Whether the Tigers embark on a series of trades similar to last season remains to be seen, but Fulmer is expected to be their most marketable commodity, as the gathering of scouts at his recent starts has suggested.