Minnesota @ Detroit preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 27, 2010 ) Minnesota 2, Detroit 0

The best starting pitcher for the Detroit Tigers? It hasn't been Justin Verlander. Nor has it been Rick Porcello. The prize for the first month goes to Max Scherzer, the 25-year-old right-hander acquired in the offseason from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Scherzer has pitched six or more innings in three of his four starts. He's coming off his longest outing of the season in which he pitched seven innings in a no-decision against the Texas Rangers on Friday. Scherzer also struck out a career-high seven. The hurler's strong pitching has been important to the Tigers. Verlander and Porcello have pitched below expectations for most of April, which is a big reason why the Tigers have hovered around the .500 mark. Scherzer came to the Tigers in the three-team trade with the New York Yankees and Diamondbacks. Detroit sent center fielder Curtis Granderson to New York and right-hander Edwin Jackson to Arizona. The Diamondbacks' No. 1 draft pick in 2006, Scherzer is making his first career start against the Twins. Orlando Hudson and J.J. Hardy are the only Minnesota hitters he has faced in his short career. Twins starter Scott Baker is coming off his worst outing of the season in which he allowed six runs and 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings against the Cleveland Indians. The right-hander obviously needs to rebound from that performance, especially considering it came against one of the worst hitting teams in the majors. Baker is no stranger to pitching against Detroit. He's 3-1 with a 3.76 ERA in six career games at Comerica Park. Baker would be wise to stay away from Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera if possible. Both hitters have owned Baker over the years. Ordonez is batting .452 (19-for-42) with two homers and seven RBIs while Cabrera is hitting .333 (7-for-21) with two homers and six RBIs against Baker. Facing anyone other than Francisco Liriano will be a good thing for the Tigers. The left-hander pitched eight shutout innings in Minnesota's 2-0 win Tuesday night. Liriano gave up four hits and struck out 10. Detroit's Johnny Damon, who was the designated hitter on Tuesday, extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a ninth-inning single off Jon Rauch. He's batting .420 (21-for-50) in the streak.. Minnesota could be without first baseman Justin Morneau, who left Tuesday night's game with a stiff back after striking out three times. Morneau missed the final three weeks and the playoffs last season because of a back injury, but manager Ron Gardenhire said removing him from Tuesday's game was a precaution. Twins center fielder Denard Span was ejected by home plate umpire Paul Emmel after being called out on strikes in the eighth inning. Last year's American League MVP, Minnesota catcher Joe Mauer suffered a rare 0-for-5 night in the victory.