Tigers start crucial trip in Minnesota

Sep 14, 2007, 14:55 GMT

- The Detroit Tigers start up a crucial six-game road trip this evening with the first of three straight contests with the division-rival Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome.

Detroit currently trails the New York Yankees by 3 1/2 games in the race for the American League wild card and is 5 1/2 back of first-place Cleveland in the AL Central standings. The Tigers will conclude this trek with three games against the Indians beginning on Monday.

The road has not been kind to Detroit lately, however. The club has dropped seven of its last nine away games and is just 6-16 on the road since July 24.

However, the Tigers have won five of their six tests at the Metrodome this season and swept a three-game set from the Twins as the visitor from July 17-19.

The Tigers just completed a 10-game homestand in which they went 7-3 on the residency. Detroit ended the stretch with back-to-back wins over Texas, including Wednesday's 5-1 triumph.

Gary Sheffield belted a two-run home run in the first inning and Magglio Ordonez had a three-run shot in the sixth. That was the all the support Justin Verlander needed, as the All-Star righty allowed just one run and seven hits and struck out seven Rangers over seven innings.

The Tigers are hoping from a similar mound performance tonight out of struggling southpaw Nate Robertson, who will attempt to halt a five-game winless streak.

Robertson is 1-5 with a 5.79 earned run average over his last 10 starts and did not pitch well in a no decision against Seattle last Saturday. The left- hander gave up five runs (four earned) and seven hits before exiting after only 4 2/3 innings.

The 30-year-old also did not factor in the decision of his previous start, although he held Oakland to two runs and four hits in six innings back on September 2.

Robertson has had his struggles on the road this year as well, having posted a 2-8 record with a 5.88 ERA in 11 away starts heading into tonight's tilt. He is 6-7 with a 3.98 ERA in 17 career appearances (16 starts) versus Minnesota, but threw seven shutout innings to beat the Twins at the Metrodome on July 17.

Minnesota will send out youngster Matt Garza, who's also been slumping as of late, in this evening's matchup. The 23-year-old was tagged for five runs (three earned) and nine hits after just four innings in a no decision at Chicago last Saturday.

Garza also wasn't sharp in his previous start, when he surrendered eight runs (four earned) over 5 1/3 frames in a loss to Kansas City on August 31.

The former first-round pick is 0-1 with a 3.18 ERA in two lifetime starts against Detroit. Garza went head-to-head with Robertson in that July 17 game and came away a hard-luck loser despite yielding just three hits and one unearned run in seven innings.

The Twins had won three straight games until Wednesday's 6-3 setback at Kansas City. Torii Hunter, Chris Heintz and Brian Buscher each knocked runs in the losing effort.

Minnesota starter Carlos Silva gave up three runs on five hits in two innings before leaving the game with a pulled right groin. It was the right-hander's shortest outing of the season.

Detroit has won seven of the 12 overall meetings between these AL Central foes in 2007.

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