GDT: 9/1/10 - DET (65-67) AT MIN (76-56) - 8:10 p.m. ET

Twins ready to put final touches on Tigers

By Spencer Fordin / MLB.com

With every day and every game, the Twins can feel their task growing easier. Minnesota enjoys a relatively comfortable lead in the normally contentious American League Central, and it has to stay on top another month to make the playoffs. Detroit, which stands 11 games back, will serve as the next obstacle on Wednesday.

The Twins are stuck at four games ahead of second-place Chicago -- one game shy of tying their largest advantage of the season -- by virtue of their series-opening 4-3 victory over the Tigers on Tuesday. Minnesota will try to equal that standard again in the middle act, when it matches Francisco Liriano against Detroit starter Max Scherzer.

The Twins, who have jousted back and forth with the White Sox for much of the past two months, can take pride in the way they've pitched in recent weeks. Minnesota's starters have posted a 2.39 ERA and held opposing hitters to a .222 average in their past 10 starts, and somehow, they've played to a 6-4 record in that span.

If Minnesota -- which has won the division in five of the past eight seasons -- is going to keep pitching at that clip, it will have to subdue Detroit's Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera has hit safely in 30 of his past 34 games against the Twins and has the most home runs (11) and RBIs (32) against Minnesota since September of the 2008 season.

And that's hardly the only way Cabrera distinguishes himself. The five-time All-Star leads the league with 21 homers on the road this season, the third most by any Tigers player since 1952. Cabrera is also the fourth Tigers player in franchise history -- and the first since 1940 -- to top 300 total bases for three consecutive seasons.

The Tigers snapped a run of 11 straight road games with a home run on Tuesday, which had been their longest streak since 2006. Also, like the Twins, Detroit has managed to find its stride on the mound. The Tigers have 10 quality starts in their last 11 games, and their starters have a 7-1 record and a 1.91 ERA over that span.

Scherzer will bear the responsibility of trying to live up to those numbers, and he'll do so riding his own trend of solid pitching. The hard-throwing right-hander has completed at least six innings and held the opposition to two earned runs or fewer in six straight starts, dropping his season ERA by nearly a full run (from 4.45 to 3.60).

The Twins, who are 8-5 against Detroit this season, will be able to ride their own pitching-related momentum. Liriano has won six straight decisions, and he's managed to fire a quality start in 18 of his 25 outings. The left-hander has a 2.47 ERA in his last eight outings, and he's been under 4.00 in each of the last three months.

Most importantly, the Twins are 15-10 when Liriano starts, and they're 7-1 with the lefty since July 16. Minnesota has added veteran relievers Randy Flores and Brian Fuentes for the stretch run, fortifying the bullpen.

"We've got some arms out there," said manager Ron Gardenhire. "We've got a few lefties back, which are huge. One being a closer you can go a lot of different ways with him. So it definitely helped out. It will take the workload off just a couple guys so we can protect everybody a little bit more because you have a few different options."

Tigers: Wells in a hitting zone
Rookie outfielder Casper Wells had three hits on Tuesday night and is 7-for-11 over his past three games, and the Tigers will likely start him again against Liriano. Wells, a former 14th-round draftee, is still getting used to life at the game's highest level and hopes to use September to fully find his comfort zone.

"A lot of times, I think guys might have a thought of looking over their shoulder and thinking, 'If I do bad, I'm out of here,'" said Wells. "I just want to have a comfortable approach and just feel comfortable at this level. I felt comfortable [hitting] before getting called up. I can roll with that and just let my abilities take over and see what happens."

Twins: Thome moving up charts
Veteran slugger Jim Thome got the night off in Tuesday's series opener, but he's on the verge of moving up in the game's all-time record books. Thome currently sits one home run behind Mark McGwire (583) for ninth place all time, and he's also one walk from pulling even with Frank Thomas (1,667) for ninth place in that category.

The Twins will make a few moves when the rosters expand on Wednesday, set to call up Jose Morales to serve as the third catcher and Trevor Plouffe as a reserve infielder. The Twins have gotten solid play from rookie Danny Valencia, who is batting .328 (67-for-204) with 16 doubles and 23 RBIs in his first 60 games.

Worth noting
Hall of Famers Hank Greenberg, Charlie Gehringer and Harry Heilmann are the only other Tigers who have topped 300 total bases in three consecutive seasons.

... These two teams will meet for a final series in late September.

... Minnesota closer Matt Capps has successfully closed out seven of his nine save opportunities with the Twins. Prior to arriving in a midseason trade with the Nationals, Capps had closed out 26 of his first 30 save chances.

... The Tigers expect to call up reliever Robbie Weinhardt and catcher Max St. Pierre on Wednesday.


Pitching matchup

TIGERS: RHP Max Scherzer (10-9, 3.60 ERA)
In winning his last three starts, Scherzer has allowed a total of two earned runs, putting his early-season struggles further in the past. The righty has exceeded 100 pitches in 15 consecutive starts.

TWINS: LHP Francisco Liriano (12-7, 3.41 ERA)
Liriano tied his career high in wins in his last start against the Rangers, pitching seven innings while allowing two runs. Liriano has been one of the Twins' best starters since the All-Star break, going 6-0 with a 2.47 ERA in eight outings.


RECENT RESULTS: The Tigers lost 4-3 to the Minnesota Twins last night at Target Field. Jhonny Peralta led the Tigers offense with three hits and a RBI, while Casper Wells also finished with three hits, including a pair of doubles. Will Rhymes added two hits and Brandon Inge chipped in with a RBI in the loss. The Tigers continue a 10-game road trip tonight at Target Field with the second game of a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins. The Tigers conclude the trip with a three-game set at Kansas City beginning Friday.

ST. PIERRE AND WEINHARDT ADDED TO ACTIVE ROSTER: With rosters expanding today, the Tigers today purchased the contract of catcher Max St. Pierre and recalled the contract of righthanded pitcher Robbie Weinhardt from Triple A Toledo. St. Pierre batted .300 (39x130) with seven doubles, five home runs and 22 RBI in 39 games with Toledo this season and will be making his major league debut after 978 games over 14 seasons at the minor league level. Weinhardt will be in his second stint with the club and has posted a 1-1 record and 1.57 ERA (34.1IP/6ER) in 24 games with the Mud Hens this season.

GONZALEZ OUTRIGHTED TO TOLEDO: The Tigers today announced that righthanded pitcher Enrique Gonzalez has been outrighted to Triple A Toledo. Gonzalez was designated for assignment on August 23.

RABURN ON A ROLL: Ryan Raburn enters tonight’s game at Minnesota hitting .323 (30x93) with seven doubles, eight home runs and 21 RBI over his last 24 games dating back to August 5. He is second in the American League with 21 RBI during that stretch, while he is tied for second with eight home runs and third with a .656 slugging percentage.

MIGGY MASHES AGAINST MINNESOTA: Miguel Cabrera has hit safely in 29 of his last 34 games against the Minnesota Twins dating back to September 6, 2008. He is batting .341 (45x132) with 23 runs scored, 10 doubles, 11 home runs and 32 RBI against the Twins during that stretch. He leads all major league players during that time period with the 11 home runs and 32 RBI against the Twins and is tied for fourth with 10 doubles.

IT STARTS WITH PITCHING: Tigers starting pitchers have logged a quality start in 10 of the last 11 games, posting a 7-1 record and 1.91 ERA (75.1IP/16ER) during the stretch. Tigers starting pitchers have fanned 58 batters while walking 11 over the 10 games, limiting opponents to a .211 batting average.

MIGGY’S MOUNTAIN OF HOME RUNS ON THE ROAD: Miguel Cabrera leads the American League with 21 home runs on the road this season. The 21 road home runs rank as the third-most by a Tigers player since at least 1952. Cabrera trails Cecil Fielder with 26 road home runs in 1990 and Rocky Colavito with 27 road home runs in 1961.

OFFENSE ON THE UPTICK: Tigers hitters are batting .305 (136x446) with 32 doubles, four triples, 11 home runs and 71 RBI over the last 12 games dating back to August 19. The Tigers lead the American League with 32 doubles during that stretch, while they are tied for the lead with four triples, second with 136 hits and a .305 batting average and third with 73 runs scored, a .370 on-base percentage and a .469 slugging percentage.

RHYMES ON A ROLL: Will Rhymes collected two hits last night against the Twins and has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games. He is batting .420 (21x50) with five doubles and six RBI in the 12 games. Rhymes batted .338 (24x71) with 13 runs scored, five doubles and seven RBI in 18 games during the month of August. He led all American League rookies with the .338 batting average, while he was third with 24 hits and a .373 on-basepercentage and fourth with 13 runs scored.

GETTING AN ASSIST FROM THE OUTFIELD: Casper Wells recorded an assist last night at Minnesota, marking the club’s 34th outfield assist this season. The Tigers are tops among all American League clubs with 34 outfield assists. The 34 outfield assists are the most by a Tigers team since also recording 34 during the 2004 season. The last Tigers team with more than 34 was the 2002 club with 50 outfield assists.

GLOVE WORK: The Tigers have committed just one error over the last nine games and over the club’s last 37 games, dating back to July 25, the Tigers have compiled a .988 fielding percentage (1361TC/16E), tops in the American League.

FRAZIER NAMED TO IL POST-SEASON ALL-STAR SQUAD: The International League announced yesterday that outfielder Jeff Frazier has been named to the league’s post-season all-star team. Frazier is batting .258 (118x457) with 32 doubles, two triples, 25 home runs and 73 RBI in 118 games with Toledo this season.

INJURY UPDATE:
• RHP Zach Miner (Partial tear in right elbow, 60-day DL on March 26, Had successful Tommy John surgery May 28, Out for Season),
• LHP Bobby Seay (Torn rotator cuff, 60-day DL on March 26, Doctors recommended surgery, Out for Season),
• OF Magglio Ordonez (right ankle fracture, 15-day DL on July 25, Had surgery surgery Aug. 25, Out for Season),
• INF Danny Worth (bruised left heel, 15-day DL on August 4, Out for Season),
• RHP Joel Zumaya (non-displaced fracture of the olecranon, 60-day DL on June 29, Underwent elbow surgery July 12, Out for Season).
• Carlos Guillen (Bruised left knee, 15-day DL on August 23)


Out for Season
Expected Back


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Up next (Probable Pitchers)


• Thursday, September 2,
TIGERS (RHP Justin Verlander (14-8, 3.58 ERA)) AT TWINS (RHP Scott Baker (12-9, 4.55 ERA)), 8:10 p.m. ET (FS-D HD & MLBN / AM 1270 & 97.1 FM)

• Friday, September 3,
TIGERS (RHP Jeremy Bonderman (7-9, 5.27 ERA)) AT ROYALS (RHP Zack Greinke (8-11, 3.81 ERA)), 8:10 p.m. ET (FS-D HD / AM 1270 & 97.1 FM)

• Saturday, September 4,
TIGERS (RHP Rick Porcello (7-11, 5.20 ERA)) AT ROYALS (LHP Bruce Chen (9-7, 4.76 ERA)), 7:10 p.m. ET (FS-D HD / AM 1270 & 97.1 FM)

• Sunday, September 5,
TIGERS (RHP Armando Galarraga (4-5, 3.98 ERA)) AT ROYALS (RHP Kyle Davies (6-9, 5.23 ERA)), 2:10 p.m. ET (FS-D HD / AM 1270 & 97.1 FM)

STARTING LINEUPS:

Detroit AVG
Jackson, A, CF .304
Rhymes, 2B .320
Wells, C, LF .375
Cabrera, M, 1B .340
Peralta, J, DH .249
Inge, 3B .254
Santiago, SS .273
Boesch, RF .269
Laird, C .203
Totals .269

Minnesota AVG
Span, CF .270
Casilla, A, 2B .281
Mauer, C .327
Cuddyer, 1B .274
Young, D, LF .307
Valencia, 3B .328
Morales, J, DH .000
Repko, RF .222
Hardy, SS .259
Totals .279