(Best E Casino) - Justin Verlander will try to win back-to-back starts for the first time this season, as he leads the
Detroit Tigers into action today against the
Minnesota Twins in the finale of a three-game set at Comerica Park.
Verlander, like the rest of his team, has been a big disappointment up to this point, as he has won just two games after posting an 18-win campaign a year ago. The right-hander, however, is coming off two solid performances and could be primed to turn things around in a big way.
On Tuesday, Verlander put together his best outing of the season, allowing just one run and four hits over six innings of a 12-8 victory over the Seattle Mariners. He struck out a season-high seven batters, as he snapped a personal four-game losing streak.
In his career against the Twins, Verlander has gone 3-4 with a 4.19 ERA in seven starts. He faced Minnesota on May 3rd and was reached for four earned runs over seven innings of a 4-1 setback. It was his third straight loss against the Twins.
Countering for Minnesota will be Glen Perkins, who started the season with Triple-A Rochester. The left-hander earned his first major league victory on Tuesday, allowing three runs - two earned - and six hits over 6 1/3 innings of an 11-4 triumph over Texas. He has lasted at least six innings in all three of his starts this season.
Perkins is 0-0 with a 3.38 ERA in three career relief appearances against Detroit and he will need his best stuff to slow down at Tiger club coming off a big offensive showing on Saturday.
Magglio Ordonez hit a pair of three-run home runs and scored four times as Detroit pounded Minnesota, 19-3, last night.
Placido Polanco went 4-for-5 with four runs scored and one driven in for the Tigers, who have won four of their last five and tied a season-high for runs scored, first set on April 23 against Texas.
Detroit starter Nate Robertson (2-5) had a solid outing for the win, allowing seven hits and three runs over 6 1/3 innings.
Matt Macri finished 2-for-3 and knocked in a run in his major-league debut for the Twins, who have dropped three of four. Alexi Casilla added a two-run home run.
Boof Bonser (2-6) took the loss by allowing a career-high nine runs on seven hits in three-plus frames.
Minnesota is 4-3 versus the Tigers this season, and has won the last four of the last five meetings.