Minnesota @ Detroit preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 17, 2014 ) Detroit 4, Minnesota 8

It takes a confident man to reportedly turn down a six-year, $144 million contract extension prior to the season, so Max Scherzer decided he'd try to validate his Cy Young Award season in an attempt to break the bank. The right-hander tries for his 18th victory - and further impress future suitors - as the Detroit Tigers host the Minnesota Twins on Thursday in the opener of a four-game series which ends the regular season. It is a huge contest for Scherzer and Detroit, which clinched a playoff berth Wednesday and leads Kansas City by two games in the American League Central.

The Tigers improved to 10-5 in a 19-game stretch against AL Central teams to finish the regular season with a 6-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday. Minnesota will be without Trevor Plouffe, who fractured his left forearm in Wednesday's 2-1 victory over Arizona as the Twins capped the Target Field portion of their schedule with a 5-4 homestand that started with them taking two of three from Detroit. The Twins are expected to get Joe Mauer back in the lineup after he left Tuesday's game when he was hit by a pitch in the right elbow and was held out of the lineup Wednesday by manager Ron Gardenhire.

TV: 7:08 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FSN North (Minnesota), FSN Detroit

PITCHING MATCHUP: Twins RH Trevor May (3-5, 8.39 ERA) vs. Tigers RH Max Scherzer (17-5, 3.19)

May had a three-start winning streak snapped in his last outing after allowing seven runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings of a 7-3 loss to Cleveland on Saturday. The Washington native, who turned 25 on Tuesday, defeated the Chicago White Sox twice and the Indians during his winning streak while posting a 4.50 ERA in that span. May permitted five runs and 11 hits in in 5 1/3 innings of an 8-6 loss to Detroit on Aug. 23 in his only appearance against the Tigers.

Scherzer extended his unbeaten string to four starts by winning his second straight decision - a 3-2 victory in Kansas City on Saturday - when he yielded one run and seven hits in seven innings. The 30-year-old Missouri native is 8-2 with a 4.53 ERA in 15 starts against the Twins - 2-0, 5.00 in three turns this season. Scherzer received a no-decision after allowing four runs and seven hits in seven innings of Detroit's 8-6 victory in Minnesota on Sept. 15.

WALK-OFFS

1. Tigers RF Torii Hunter is 17-for-44 during a 10-game hitting streak that features seven two-hit contests.

2. Detroit 1B Miguel Cabrera on Wednesday struck out four times for the only third time in his career and first since Sept. 17, 2010.

3. The Twins have won eight of the 15 meetings in 2014 as they bid for their first season series victory over Detroit since 2009, going 0-3-1 since.

PREDICTION: Tigers 6, Twins 2