Detroit @ Oakland preview

Detroit at Oakland

Last Meeting ( May 27, 2014 ) Detroit 6, Oakland 5

The Detroit Tigers didn’t exactly find an answer for their recent pitching woes in their last game, but may have solved the riddle of their offense. The Tigers, who will play the third of four games in Oakland against the Athletics on Wednesday, won for only the second time in nine games with Tuesday’s 6-5 victory. While Detroit ended a streak in which it had allowed at least 10 runs in three straight games, ace Max Scherzer was tagged for five runs and has yielded 12 over his last two starts.

On the plus side, the Tigers were able to rally twice and scored more runs than they had in any of the previous five contests – a stretch during which they were held to two or fewer runs four times. Detroit will put its major league-best 15-8 road record on the line against Oakland, which lost for the fifth time in its last six tries after pummeling the Tigers in the series opener 10-0. The slide is particularly befuddling for the two-time defending American League West champions, who had won 11 of their previous 12.

TV: 10:05 p.m. ET, FSN Detroit, CSN California (Oakland)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Tigers RH Anibal Sanchez (2-2, 2.83 ERA) vs. Athletics LH Scott Kazmir (5-2, 2.56)

After going winless in his first five outings, Sanchez won his second consecutive start since coming off the disabled list May 18. The AL ERA champion from a season ago held the Texas Rangers to two runs and five hits over a season-high seven frames in Friday’s 7-2 victory and has yielded two or fewer earned runs in six of his seven turns. Sanchez gave up four runs over five innings in his last start versus the Athletics in a no-decision Aug. 26 and is 1-1 with a 5.09 ERA against them in three career outings.

Kazmir turned in his seventh quality start in 10 tries Friday, but suffered his first road loss of the season in a 3-2 defeat to the Toronto Blue Jays. The two-time All-Star yielded three runs and five hits over seven innings, but managed only two strikeouts. Kazmir, who is 2-1 with a 1.91 ERA through four home starts, posted an 0-1 record and 5.06 ERA in two starts versus the Tigers last year and is 4-5 with a 3.99 ERA in 13 all-time starts against them.

WALK-OFFS

1. Oakland DH Alberto Callaspo is batting .368 during a 16-game hitting streak against Detroit.

2. The Tigers have three of the top six batting averages in the AL, led by DH Victor Martinez (.341); no other team has more than two in the top 12.

3. With one more extra-base hit in May, Athletics 1B Brandon Moss will break the franchise record of 18 held by Jason Giambi (2001) for the month.

PREDICTION: Athletics 4, Tigers 3