Detroit @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 12, 2014 ) Detroit 7, NY Yankees 7

The Detroit Tigers did not seem to miss Austin Jackson in center field or at the top of the lineup in a three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies over the weekend. The Tigers will try to keep the offense humming along when they open a nine-game road trip at the New York Yankees on Monday. The Yankees are hanging onto the fringes of the race in the American League East and the wild card, and could use a strong showing on their seven-game homestand.

Detroit owns a five-game lead over the Kansas City Royals in the AL Central and is eagerly anticipating the first start of big-time acquisition David Price on Tuesday. The Tigers grabbed the former Cy Young winner from Tampa Bay in a three-team deal just in front of the deadline on Thursday and the energized club went on to take three straight by a combined score of 19-7. Brett Gardner hit his fifth home run in six games to help New York take the series from Boston on Sunday and new second baseman Stephen Drew drove in five runs in the last two games to help the Yankees draw within 1 1/2 games of the second AL wild-card spot.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, ESPN, FSN Detroit, YES (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Tigers RH Max Scherzer (13-3, 3.27 ERA) vs. Yankees RH Brandon McCarthy (6-10, 4.56)

Scherzer is attempting to become the first to reach 14 wins this season and is in a groove with a 5-0 record and 2.08 ERA in his last seven outings. The former Cy Young winner went seven innings against Chicago on Wednesday and allowed one run and five hits to earn the win. Scherzer is facing the Yankees for the first time since Apr. 6, 2013, when he surrendered four runs and struck out seven over five innings to grab a win.

McCarthy ran into his first big spot of trouble since coming over to the Yankees when he allowed four runs and nine hits in six innings at Texas on Tuesday. The veteran was bailed out by his offense in that start and ended up with his third straight win, improving to 3-0 since being acquired from Arizona early last month. McCarthy yielded a total of two runs and 10 hits while striking out 14 in 12 innings during his first two starts at home for New York.

WALK-OFFS

1. Tigers RHP Joba Chamberlain, who spent his first seven seasons with the Yankees, will be making his return to the Bronx for the first time since signing with Detroit.

2. New York RHP Masahiro Tanaka (elbow) is expected to throw on Monday for the first time since receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection.

3. Detroit DH Victor Martinez has two home runs and seven RBIs in the last three games.

PREDICTION: Tigers 5, Yankees 2