Baltimore @ Detroit preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 23, 2011 ) Baltimore 3, Detroit 4

THE STORY: The major league leader in wins will take on the major league leader in losses on Saturday in a duel that’s not as lopsided as one might assume. Justin Verlander is a near-lock to win the American League Cy Young Award and a strong possibility for the MVP as well. A win on Saturday would make him the first pitcher since Bob Welch in 1990 to win at least 25 games. Jeremy Guthrie is an innings-eating rotation stalwart who rarely gets the run support to find his way into the win column. But with the way the Baltimore Orioles have been swinging the bats lately, perhaps this is the time for Guthrie to grab a win and Verlander to absorb a rare loss. Guthrie will try to make that happen on Saturday night at Comerica Park.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, MASN (Baltimore), FSD (Detroit)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Orioles RH Jeremy Guthrie (9-17, 4.28 ERA) vs. Tigers RH Justin Verlander (24-5, 2.29 ERA).

Guthrie has actually won three starts in a row, including a victory at Boston on Monday. Guthrie allowed four runs on 10 hits in six innings but the Baltimore offense churned out enough runs for a 6-5 victory. The Stanford product has already set a career high with 128 strikeouts and is over 200 innings for the third consecutive season. He was knocked around for six runs in a loss to Detroit on Aug. 13, managing only one strikeout in 5 2/3 frames.

Verlander leads the majors in wins, innings pitched, WHIP, batting average against and strikeouts while pacing the AL in ERA. The 28-year-old has won 12 consecutive starts and has tossed 15 scoreless innings over his last two turns. Verlander yielded three runs in eight innings to beat the Orioles on April 6 and has never lost to them in eight career starts, posting a 6-0 record with a 2.64 ERA.

ABOUT THE ORIOLES (66-91): Baltimore scratched and clawed its way to extra innings on Friday night before falling 4-3 in the 11th. The setback pushed them to 8-3 in their last 11 games and put a dent in their plans to win the final five series of the season – all against winning teams. The Orioles, who took the opener on Thursday, wreaked havoc on the AL wild-card race with series wins over Tampa Bay, Los Angeles and Boston prior to arriving in Detroit and will face the Red Sox again to close out the season. Baltimore recorded 13 hits on Friday but only managed the three runs, grounding into three double plays and going 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. That snapped a string of five straight games in which Baltimore had scored at least six runs.

ABOUT THE TIGERS (91-66): Detroit is battling only for home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs at this point. Currently tied with the AL West-leading Texas Rangers (91-66) in that pursuit, the Tigers already have their rotation lined up for the playoffs and should be able to proceed as normal over the last five games. Victor Martinez played the hero on Friday with a game-winning single and Miguel Cabrera homered among three hits, lifting his batting average to .336. Cabrera is tied with Michael Young of Texas for second place in the batting race, just shy of Boston’s Adrian Gonzalez (.341). Martinez (.322) sits in fourth.

FINAL PITCH: Orioles designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero is within two hits of passing Julio Franco for the highest career total of any Dominican-born player. Guerrero, 36, is at 2,585 hits and wants to play another season or two beyond 2011. Franco played in the majors until he was 49.