The Tigers sent left-handed starting pitcher Matthew Boyd down to Triple-A Toledo after Friday night's 15-5 win  over the White Sox. After four straight rough starts -- only one of which lasted at least five innings -- Boyd looked no further than himself for the reason Detroit made the move.
"I put myself in this hole," he said. "No one to blame but myself. Our team, we're turning it around right now, we're winning. I definitely want to be a part of that again."
In his past four outings, Boyd is 0-2 and has allowed 36 hits and 18 earned runs in 16 innings. He said his focus in Triple-A will be on attacking hitters and pitching off his fastball to make his other pitches stronger.
"Get back to trusting my stuff," he said. "Making my slider go down, commanding my fastball and I'll be right."
Boyd (2-5, 5.69 ERA) was not scheduled to start against the White Sox this weekend, and with Detroit's off-day on Monday, manager Brad Ausmus said before Friday's game that he wasn't sure when Boyd would make his next start. As of Friday night, there were no details of when Boyd will be on the mound for Toledo.
Despite his recent struggles, Boyd has given the Tigers good reason to trust that he can find success again. He won the fifth starter role out of Spring Training and tossed five quality starts in a six-outing stretch from April 11 to May 10.
"That they want me to get that killer instinct back in my eye," Boyd said. "Last four starts it hasn't been there. They still believe in me. They want me to go down there and go do it."
Left-handed pitcher Daniel Stumpf was called up from the Mud Hens in his place. In 24 relief appearances with Toledo this season, he is 1-2 with a 3.38 ERA, including 26 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings.