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Royals-Tigers Preview

Jul 7, 2009 - 5:07 AM By MATT BEARDMORE STATS Writer

Kansas City (35-46) at Detroit (44-37), 7:05 p.m. EDT

Detroit Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander has been an average pitcher on the road this season. At home, he's been one of the best in the game.

The struggling Tigers hope Verlander can continue his dominance at Comerica Park on Tuesday night as they try to snap a three-game slide in a matchup with the Kansas City Royals.

Verlander (8-4, 3.54 ERA) is 4-0 with a 1.11 ERA in six home starts this season, striking out 51 in 40 2-3 innings. Those gaudy numbers stand in stark contrast to his record on the road, where he's 4-4 with a 4.98 ERA in 11 starts.

The right-hander gave up four runs and six hits - two of them two-run homers to Jason Giambi and Jack Cust - in his last outing, a 5-1 loss at Oakland on Wednesday.

Verlander didn't dwell on his latest average road performance, preferring to focus on how he pitched.

"I went back and watched some of the tape," he told the team's official Web site, "and the two pitches that hurt me weren't that bad of pitches. I can't be too disappointed. The way I threw the ball, I'm all right with it."

When it comes to facing Kansas City, it hasn't mattered where Verlander has taken the mound. He is 8-1 with a 2.21 ERA in 12 starts versus the Royals, and pitched 13 2-3 scoreless innings to win his last two matchups with them.

The most recent came May 25 at Kauffman Stadium, with Verlander throwing seven innings and striking out eight in a 13-1 victory.

Detroit (44-38) needs a solid start from its ace following Monday's 4-3 loss to Kansas City. The Tigers had won eight in a row at Comerica Park.

Detroit left seven runners on base in the series opener and is batting .196 during its three-game losing streak. The Tigers are near the bottom of the AL with a .258 batting average.

"Our offense overall is not doing the job," said manager Jim Leyland, whose first-place club has dropped seven of 10. "From top to bottom, it just isn't clicking.

"You certainly hope you snap out of it at some point."

Kansas City (36-46), trailing Leyland's team by eight games in the AL Central, has won eight of its last 10 at Comerica.

Bruce Chen (0-2, 4.38) takes the mound as the Royals go for their fourth win in a row and try to move closer to their second straight three-game sweep in Detroit. Kansas City took all three contests there from Sept. 22-24.

Chen yielded two runs and five hits over seven innings of Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox. The left-hander struck out five and walked one.

Chen is 0-1 with a 5.00 ERA in three starts against Detroit. He'll be going for his first victory since Oct. 2, 2005.

Royals right fielder Willie Bloomquist extended his hitting streak to five Monday with a fourth-inning single. He added a solo homer in the sixth and a two-run triple in the eighth that put Kansas City up 3-2.

Bloomquist is batting .356 (16 for 45) in 17 games at Comerica Park.

Tigers outfielder Ryan Raburn was 2 for 4 on Monday with a double and a homer. He is hitting .563 (9 for 16) during a five-game hit streak.