San Francisco @ Detroit preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 1, 2011 ) San Francisco 4, Detroit 3

THE STORY: San Francisco Giants closer Brian Wilson took out his frustration on a water cooler after he was pulled in the bottom of the ninth Friday night. Jeremy Affeldt averted more damage by getting the final outs on a line-drive double play with the bases loaded for a 4-3 victory in the first game of the series at the Detroit Tigers. The Giants send Barry Zito to the mound Saturday night against Max Scherzer to try and settle things down after three straight mentally draining games, including a pair of losses to the struggling Cubs. The Giants have still won eight of 10. The Tigers have lost three of four and are 6-10 in interleague play.

TV: 7:05 p.m. EST, FS-DET (Detroit), CSBA (San Francisco)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Tigers RH Max Scherzer (9-3, 4.47) vs. Giants LH Barry Zito (1-1, 4.95). Scherzer gave up two runs over seven innings his last start Monday against Toronto and did not get a decision. He is 5-1 at home this season. Scherzer is 1-2 lifetime against San Francisco with a 2.60 ERA in 17 1/3 innings, including his time with Arizona. He is 9-15 against the National League. Left-handed hitters are batting .301 against Scherzer (righties .246). Zito gets the start off three days of rest, after pitching in the doubleheader Tuesday. He allowed just two runs in seven innings against the Cubs after coming back from a foot injury. Zito is 7-6 lifetime with a 3.09 ERA in 96 innings against Detroit, including his days with Oakland. Detroit's Victor Martinez is 8-for-22 versus Zito.

ABOUT THE GIANTS (47-36): Pablo Sandoval has hit safely in 16 of 17 games since returning from the disabled list. He has hit in 12 straight, going 16-for-51, after a pair of RBI doubles Friday night. Nate Schierholtz (9-for-21) and Cody Ross (7-for-22) are also on the upswing for the Giants, who are in the bottom five in the majors in runs scored. Getting Aubrey Huff going would help the San Francisco offense. Huff batted a much-improved .291 in June, but is just 5-for-27 his last eight games to see his average drop to .240. Wilson has blown two straight saves, but still leads the majors with 24.

ABOUT THE TIGERS (44-39): Detroit has settled down since the two-day debacle against the New York Mets when it gave up 30 runs. But the Tigers were held scoreless the first seven innings Friday and a late rally fell short. The Tigers haven’t stopped hitting. Martinez, who batted .370 in June, started July with two hits, and Miguel Cabrera is 13-for-30 the last nine games. The key might be Magglio Ordonez continuing to warm up. Ordonez is 10-for-28 the last eight games. Jhonny Peralta has a nine-game hit streak, going 14-for-35 to raise his average to .312.

FINAL PITCH: Detroit placed reliever Al Alburquerque in the 15-day disabled list Friday with inflammation in his right forearm. The rookie right-hander is 5-1 with a 2.79 ERA, with 47 strikeouts in 29 innings. Right-handed reliever Lester Oliveros replaced Alburquerque and made his major-league debut Friday.