Detroit @ Baltimore preview
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Last Meeting ( Aug 12, 2011 ) Detroit 5, Baltimore 4
THE STORY: Miguel Cabrera is Detroit’s signature player and the Tigers have several other potent hitters. But the biggest offensive contributions in Friday’s 5-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles came from newcomers Andy Dirks and Wilson Betemit. The two players combined for seven hits and will look to do further damage when the two teams square off in Saturday’s second game of the series in Baltimore. Dirks, a rookie, had the first four-hit game of his career and Betemit, recently acquired from Kansas City, had three hits and a homer. The Tigers lead Cleveland by three games in the American League Central. Baltimore has lost eight of 10 games.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FS Detroit, MASN2 (Baltimore).
PITCHING MATCHUP: Tigers RH Max Scherzer (11-7, 4.33 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Jeremy Guthrie (5-15, 4.38).
Scherzer is 0-2 over his last three starts. He gave up four runs and six hits in five innings while losing to Kansas City in his last outing. Prior to that, he gave up two runs or less in five consecutive starts. Scherzer is 1-1 with a 3.46 ERA in two career starts against Baltimore. Adam Jones is 4-for-6 against Scherzer. Guthrie has gone seven innings in five consecutive starts and is 2-2 during the stretch. He wasn’t part of the decision against the Chicago White Sox in his last outing when he gave up five runs (four earned) and eight hits. Guthrie is 3-1 with a 2.83 ERA in eight career appearances (five starts) against the Tigers. Magglio Ordonez is 6-for-10 against Guthrie.
ABOUT THE ORIOLES (45-71): Baltimore is hoping Guthrie can continue his streak of seven-inning starts after the last two starters barely pitched seven innings between them. Alfredo Simon lasted only 4 2/3 innings Friday, one night after Chris Tillman was rocked in 2 2/3 innings. Shortstop J.J. Hardy hit two homers for his third multi-homer game of the season. Hardy has 23 homers, three shy of the career-high 26 he hit in 2007 for Milwaukee. Vladimir Guerrero had two hits after going 1-for-22 over his previous six games. Mark Reynolds is also slumping - he is 1-for-21 with nine strikeouts over his last five games.
ABOUT THE TIGERS (63-55): Detroit is 56-0 when leading after eight innings. Closer Jose Valverde recorded his 34th consecutive save Friday. Center fielder Austin Jackson played a major part in the victory by robbing Baltimore’s Adam Jones of a game-tying homer in the eighth. Jackson is batting just .244 - 49 points lower than what he hit last season as a rookie - but has played outstanding defense. Betemit is batting .360 in 15 games with the Tigers. Magglio Ordonez went 1-for-5 and is 1-for-19 over his last five games. Reliever Al Alburquerque was taken to a hospital Friday after he was hit in the head and suffered a concussion while Baltimore was taking batting practice. Detroit plans to recall reliever Ryan Perry to replace him.
FINAL PITCH: “It’s nice when you get contributions from everybody. In the end, the big bats are going to carry you, but it’s always nice when some other guys chip in.” - Detroit manager Jim Leyland.