Minnesota @ Detroit preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 29, 2015 ) Detroit 10, Minnesota 7

The Minnesota Twins are winners of nine of their last 11 games as they making their way up the standings in the American League Central. The Twins will try to keep moving forward when they visit the Detroit Tigers for the opener of a three-game series on Tuesday.

The Tigers briefly held onto first place over the weekend before falling to Kansas City on Saturday and Sunday, marking their second straight series loss. Detroit has not won a series since taking two of three from Minnesota from April 27-29, and it managed three runs in 19 innings on Saturday and Sunday against the Royals. “It's not always the other team outperforming you,” Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler told MLB.com. “Sometimes you don't perform. That's the way this game goes sometimes.” The Twins are just 6-9 on the road but began their six-game trip by taking two of three at Cleveland.

TV: 7:08 p.m. ET, FSN North (Minnesota), FSN Detroit

PITCHING MATCHUP: Twins RH Kyle Gibson (3-2, 2.97 ERA) vs. Tigers RH Alfredo Simon (4-1, 3.44)

Gibson has not allowed a run in either of his last two starts, combining to surrender eight hits over 14 innings in wins over Oakland and the Chicago White Sox. The sinkerball specialist only notched five strikeouts in those two games, including a season high of four against the White Sox. Gibson’s worst outing came on April 9 at Detroit, when he was lit up for six runs on eight hits and five walks without recording a strikeout.

Simon won his first four starts for the Tigers but failed to notch a victory in either of the last two. The Dominican Republic native was reached for a total of nine runs on 14 hits and six walks over 9 1/3 innings at Chicago and Kansas City. Simon is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in two home starts, with 10 strikeouts and two walks in those outings.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Tigers swept the Twins at home to open the season and have taken five of six from the division rivals in 2015.

2. Minnesota 2B Brian Dozier homered in the last two games and has scored at least one run in five straight.

3. Detroit 1B Miguel Cabrera is 3-for-21 in the last six games.

PREDICTION: Twins 4, Tigers 2