Injury woes worsen as Tigers-Astros pitchers open matchup by matching unique MLB record

The Detroit Tigers opened Monday morning with news of starting pitcher Troy Melton waking up with back issues, causing the injury-plagued MLB club to alter its rotation before beginning a three-game series with the Houston Astros at Daikin Park.

The Tigers' season-long injury woes continued into the second inning when second baseman Gleyber Torres felt discomfort following a first-pitch swing, whiffing on a 92.4 mph fastball from Astros starter Kai-Wei Teng.

Torres, who missed time earlier this season with a left oblique strain issue, bent over in the batter's box. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch and assistant athletic trainer Kelly Rhoades came out of the dugout to treat Torres. 

The Tigers' 29-year-old veteran was removed from the lineup and replaced by Hao-Yu Lee. 

Melton did not land on the injured list Monday, indicating his back may not be serious enough to add to the Tigers' growing list of games missed because of injury. They entered Monday ranked No. 5 with 788 games lost, including 555 games by pitchers.

The Astros (907) were second.

With Drew Anderson taking the starter role for the Tigers, the reliever combined with Teng to create unique big-league history. The first 11 combined outs were recorded via strikeouts, matching a record dating back to 1920.

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