Detroit @ Minnesota preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 23, 2014 ) Detroit 8, Minnesota 6

The Detroit Tigers continue their quest for a playoff berth as they attempt to gain a split of their four-game set against the host Minnesota Twins in Sunday's finale. After enduring a thorough beating in the series opener, Detroit again was trounced in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader before holding on for an 8-6 victory in the nightcap. Nick Castellanos and Eugenio Suarez each recorded two hits and two RBIs while Justin Verlander returned from a shoulder injury to record his 11th win as the Tigers climbed within one game of the second wild-card spot in the American League and three of first-place Kansas City in the AL Central.

Torii Hunter, Victor Martinez and J.D. Martinez led a 17-hit attack with three apiece as Detroit ended its three-game slide and improved to 3-3 on its seven-game road trip. Trevor Plouffe registered three hits and two RBIs for Minnesota, which dropped to 4-6 on its 10-game homestand as its three-game winning streak came to an end. The Twins have outscored the Tigers 38-18 over the first three games of the series.

TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, FSN Detroit, FSN North (Minnesota)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Tigers RH Max Scherzer (14-4, 3.07 ERA) vs. Twins RH Kyle Gibson (11-9, 4.13)

Scherzer escaped with a no-decision at Tampa Bay on Tuesday despite surrendering four runs, his highest total since yielding 10 in a loss to Kansas City on June 17. The 30-year-old reigning AL Cy Young Award winner finished one strikeout shy of reaching double digits for the third straight start but raised his season total to 205, marking the third consecutive season in which he eclipsed the 200 mark. Scherzer improved to 7-2 lifetime against Minnesota on May 10, when he allowed three runs over six innings in a 9-3 triumph.

Gibson was staked to a five-run, first-inning lead Tuesday against Cleveland but was unable to hold it and finished with a no-decision after giving up five runs and eight hits over 5 1/3 frames. It marked the fourth time in eight starts the 26-year-old yielded five or more runs but first in which he avoided a loss. Gibson split his first two career outings versus the Tigers, losing to Scherzer on May 10 after surrendering six runs in only two innings before scattering five hits over seven scoreless frames in a win at Detroit on June 13.

WALK-OFFS

1. Detroit's Miguel Cabrera leads the AL with 40 doubles while Minnesota's Plouffe is second with 36.

2. Twins RF Oswaldo Arcia went 0-for-4 in the second game of Saturday's twinbill after spending most of the previous night at a hospital tending to his sick baby and being held out of the lineup in the opener.

3. Austin Romine was in the Tigers' Game 1 starting lineup at shortstop Saturday after pitching an inning in Friday's 20-6 loss. Romine recorded a strikeout but surrendered three runs and four hits - two home runs - without issuing a walk.

PREDICTION: Tigers 7, Twins 2