New York @ Detroit preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 5, 2013 ) NY Yankees 3, Detroit 8

The Detroit Tigers were projected to have one of the best offenses in baseball before the season but did not show that off until their home opener on Friday. They will try to keep the hits coming when they host the New York Yankees again on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers matched their run total from the first three games in Friday’s 8-3 victory and got a breakout from Prince Fielder. The Yankees are dealing with another injury.

New York began the season with Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira on the disabled list and then watched No. 2 starter Hiroki Kuroda exit his first start in the second inning after being hit by a come backer. Eduardo Nunez, who is filling in for Jeter at short, was also forced out of Friday’s game after being hit by a pitch in the right bicep. Fielder hit a pair of home runs off Yankees relievers on Friday and Alex Avila added a solo blast in the win. Those represented the first three home runs of the season for Detroit, which is still waiting on Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera to hit his first blast.

TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, FOX

PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Phil Hughes (2012: 16-13, 4.23 ERA) vs. Tigers RH Max Scherzer (16-7, 3.74)

Hughes began the season on the disabled list with a bulging disc in his back and was expected to make a minor league start before injuries pushed the club to reconsider. The right-hander threw seven innings in an extended spring training game on Monday and told the club he was ready. Hughes pitched a career-high 191 1/3 innings last season and surrendered 35 home runs. He lasted only three innings against Detroit in last October’s ALCS and took the loss.

Scherzer ended New York’s season in that ALCS, striking out 10 and allowing a run on two hits over 5 2/3 innings to earn the win in Game 4. The right-hander finished second in the AL behind teammate Justin Verlander with 231 strikeouts in 2012 and was dominant down the stretch, going 5-1 with a 1.50 ERA in his final nine regular season starts. Scherzer is 3-1 with a 3.42 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 23 2/3 total innings against the Yankees during the regular season.

WALK-OFFS

1. Kuroda threw on the side Friday and could make his next schedule start Monday in Cleveland.

2. Detroit DH Victor Martinez, who missed all of last season recovering from knee surgery, is 2-for-14 to start 2013.

3. Former Tiger Brennan Boesch got his first start for the Yankees in right field on Friday and went 1-for-4 against his old team while making a leaping catch to rob Fielder of another extra-base hit.

PREDICTION: Tigers 5, Yankees 1