Detroit @ Tampa Bay preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 27, 2010 ) Detroit 2, Tampa Bay 3

The Detroit Tigers have not responded well after losing two of their top hitters last weekend. The Tampa Bay Rays may be without one of their own big boppers on Wednesday.

B.J. Upton left Tuesday's game with a sprained ankle after trying to chase down a single by Will Rhymes in the first inning. He is questionable as the Rays host the Tigers in the third game of a four-game series at St. Petersburg, Fla.

The Rays have won the first two games of the series as the Tigers, who lost both Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen to injuries on Saturday, have struggled offensively lately. On Monday they were no-hit by Matt Garza in Tampa Bay's 5-0 victory. A day later, Detroit had 12 hits but left 11 men on base as the Rays posted a 3-2 decision.

Rafael Soriano escaped trouble in the ninth inning to preserve the win. Detroit loaded the bases on two hits and a one-out walk but Soriano got Miguel Cabrera to hammer a ground ball to third baseman Evan Longoria, who went around the horn for the double play. It was Soriano's 27th save of the season.

The Tigers were frustrated all night long.

Without Ordonez, who broke his ankle, and Guillen, who strained a calf muscle, Cabrera is the becoming the lone focal point of the Tigers' offense. A triple crown threat, Cabrera is batting .349 with 24 home runs and 88 RBIs.

He doubled in the fourth inning but was thrown out at the plate trying to score on a pitch by James Shields that bounced in the dirt and got past Rays catcher John Jaso. Jaso recovered in time to flip the ball to Shields, who tagged out Cabrera at the plate.

The Rays walked Cabrera intentionally in the seventh with runners on first and second and two outs and Grant Balfour struck out rookie Brennan Boesch.

And the Tigers had runners on second and third in the fifth with none out and failed to score.

Shields got the win to move to 9-9 on the season and Justin Verlander (12-6) went the distance in the loss.

Upton remained on the turf for a couple of minutes before limping to the clubhouse and was replaced by Ben Zobrist in center field while Reid Brignac took over for Zobrist at second base.

Eddie Bonine (4-0) will make his first start of the season for Detroit. The Tigers used two starters in last Friday's doubleheader against Toronto forcing Bonine, who has made 31 appearances out of the bullpen this year, to take the spot.

Bonine started four games last year and has a 2.72 ERA on the season.

Jeff Niemann (8-3) starts for Tampa Bay, winners of four in row. Niemann is 0-1 in against the Tigers in his career. The 6-foot-9 right-hander has been in the top 10 in the American League ERA race for the most of the season, and comes into Wednesday's game with a 2.95 ERA.