Detroit @ Seattle preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 16, 2013 ) Detroit 6, Seattle 2

The Detroit Tigers will try to keep their blistering offense rolling Wednesday when they match up with the host Seattle Mariners and their former American League Cy Young Award winner. The Tigers are hitting a major-league leading .307 and are getting most of their offense from their top players. The Mariners don’t have any big names in their batting order and are hitting 88 points less than Detroit, but are usually in the game when Felix Hernandez is on the mound.

Tigers leadoff hitter Austin Jackson has reached base safely in all 13 games and scored in 11, No. 3 hitter Torii Hunter is hitting a team-high .414 and cleanup hitter Prince Fielder has climbed to .383 with four home runs and 19 RBIs. Miguel Cabrera, last season's AL MVP, is heating up again, delivering three hits and four RBIs in Tuesday’s series-opening victory. Seattle catcher Kelly Shoppach (.389) is the only Mariner hitting better than .289, the main reason he has been in the starting lineup in five of the last six games.

TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Detroit, ROOT Sports (Seattle)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Tigers RH Max Scherzer (1-0, 4.09 ERA) vs. Mariners RH Felix Hernandez (1-2, 3.05)

Scherzer was second to teammate Justin Verlander in strikeouts last season and he struck out 11 batters in six innings of his last start. He didn’t earn the victory after the bullpen squandered his 3-2 lead in the seventh before the Tigers won in 12 innings. Scherzer went 2-0 against the Mariners in both 2010 and 2011, but was touched for five runs and 10 hits in five innings of a 7-4 loss last April in Detroit. Scherzer is a .500 pitcher on the road for his career but has been a lot better the last two seasons, owning a 16-9 mark away from Comerica Park.

Hernandez made his major-league debut against Detroit on Aug. 4, 2005. He lost that game but has won nine of the last 10 against the Tigers, his best winning percentage against opponents with at least three decisions. Hernandez agreed to a seven-year, $175 million contract in February, making him the highest-paid pitcher in history. He has kept the Mariners in the game in all three starts this season, pitching into the seventh inning and allowing four earned runs or less, but has been supported by five runs while in those games.

WALK-OFFS

1. Hunter is 22-for-68 in his career against Hernandez with four home runs and 19 strikeouts.

2. Mariners RHP Yoervis Medina made his major-league debut Tuesday after he was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma to fill the bullpen spot left available when RHP Stephen Pryor was placed on the 15-day disabled list. He pitched 1 1/3 innings, walked two and struck out three.

3. Mariners SS Brendan Ryan is hitting .184 and 2B Dustin Ackley is hitting .114.

PREDICTION: Mariners 2, Tigers 1