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Angels-Tigers Preview

Jun 7, 2009 - 4:23 AM By KATE HEDLIN STATS Writer

Los Angeles (28-25) at Detroit (28-25), 1:05 p.m. EDT

The Detroit Tigers snapped their longest losing streak of the season in their last game despite another disappointing offensive performance.

Facing Joe Saunders may help them get back on track.

The Tigers close out a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, looking to continue their success against the struggling Saunders.

Detroit (29-25) has scored 12 runs over its last five games and only three in the first two contests of this set with the Angels (28-26). The Tigers snapped a four-game losing streak Saturday with a 2-1 victory, rebounding from a 2-1 loss in Friday's series opener.

Detroit hit .217 during its slide and was 5 for 36 with runners in scoring position. The Tigers were slightly better Saturday, going 2 for 9 as Magglio Ordonez and Curtis Granderson each drove in a run in support of Edwin Jackson's four-hitter.

"The pitching was great tonight, but we have to get some runs," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "We still aren't swinging the bats well."

Detroit has struck out 42 times in the last five games, but is hoping to get a boost from the return of Marcus Thames, who has been sidelined since April 18 with a strained rib cage. After hitting 25 homers last season, he is batting .222 without a home run in six games this year. He was activated from the disabled list after Saturday's win and appears to be returning at the perfect time.

Thames was 2 for 11 last season against the Angels, but both of his hits were homers and came off Saunders (6-5, 3.77 ERA), who is 0-1 with a 5.28 ERA in five career starts against the Tigers.

Saunders failed to pitch out of the sixth inning in three of those starts, including April 22 when he allowed five runs and seven hits over five innings in a 12-10 loss.

The left-hander lost for the third time in his last four overall starts, yielding six runs and nine hits over 5 1-3 innings in a 6-4 defeat to Toronto on Tuesday.

Saunders, though, hasn't been helped by his offense, which has failed to score while he was on the mound in each of his last two outings.

The Angels have also struggled offensively in this series after scoring 18 runs and batting .286 in winning two of three from the Blue Jays. Los Angeles is batting .186 in its last two games after managing four hits off Jackson in Saturday's loss which snapped a three-game win streak.

Chone Figgins had two of those hits while Bobby Abreu recorded the 1,999th hit of his career with a first-inning double.

The Angels will get their first look at Detroit rookie Rick Porcello (6-4, 3.70), who had his personal five-game winning streak snapped after allowing three runs and eight hits over 4 1-3 innings Tuesday in a 5-1 loss to Boston. The right-hander had a 1.50 ERA over his previous five starts.

"I think Porcello might have been a little too pumped up tonight," Leyland said of the 20-year-old. "That's going to happen with young pitchers."

Detroit's win Saturday snapped a six-game home losing streak.