Minnesota @ Detroit preview

Last Meeting ( May 1, 2016 ) Detroit 6, Minnesota 5

The Detroit Tigers avoided a series sweep on Sunday and are happy to be returning home after a disappointing road trip in which they went 2-5 at Washington and Baltimore. The Tigers will try to take the positive momentum generated from Sunday’s 6-5 triumph and begin a winning streak on Monday when they face the Minnesota Twins in the opener of a three-game series and a nine-game homestand.

Detroit is one of the most disappointing teams in the majors over the last few weeks and has dropped 11 of 13 since sweeping a three-game series at Minnesota from April 29-May 1. The Tigers went 17 innings without scoring on Friday and Saturday but got back-to-back home runs from Miguel Cabrera and J.D. Martinez in the eighth inning on Sunday to propel themselves to victory. The Twins are hoping back-to-back wins over the Cleveland Indians marked a turnaround after the club had fallen in eight straight and 12 of the previous 13. Minnesota became the final American League team to reach double digits in wins with Sunday’s 5-1 triumph and has yet to beat an AL Central opponent other than the Indians.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FSN North (Minnesota), FSN Detroit

PITCHING MATCHUP: Twins RH Jose Berrios (1-1, 6.28 ERA) vs. Tigers RH Jordan Zimmermann (5-2, 1.50)

Berrios is one of several highly-touted prospects working his way to the top levels of the Minnesota system and will make his fourth career major league start on Monday. The 21-year-old Puerto Rico native could not make it through six innings in any of his first three turns but held the Baltimore Orioles to three runs in five innings on Tuesday. Berrios has issued a total of eight walks in 14 1/3 innings and surrendered a pair of home runs in each of his last two turns.

Zimmermann was once a highly-touted prospect himself and is now the $110 million ace of the Tigers after breezing through his first trip around the American League. The Wisconsin native allowed one or no earned runs in each of his first five starts for his new club but could not get enough run support while yielding a total of six runs in 15 innings in back-to-back losses. Zimmermann started at Minnesota on April 30 and scattered one run and six hits over seven innings while striking out seven to earn the win.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Tigers will activate CF Cameron Maybin (wrist) from the 15-day DL prior to Monday’s game.

2. Minnesota 1B Byung Ho Park went 5-for-12 with two home runs and four runs scored in the last three games.

3. Detroit 3B Nick Castellanos is 2-for-17 in his last four games.

PREDICTION: Tigers 5, Twins 2