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Royals-Tigers Preview

Aug 16, 2009 - 4:20 AM By ANTHONY GIORNALISTA STATS Senior Writer

Kansas City (45-70) at Detroit (61-54), 1:05 p.m. EDT

After a tough stretch, the Detroit Tigers have finally looked sharp at the plate. That's bad news for Kansas City Royals starter Kyle Davies.

With a chance for a three-game sweep, the Tigers look to beat Davies for the sixth straight time as they face the Royals on Sunday.

Detroit (62-54) had scored two runs or fewer in three straight games before finishing with 16 hits in a 10-3 win over Kansas City (45-71) on Saturday night. Outstanding pitching helped the Tigers win their previous two contests, posting consecutive shutouts.

The Tigers' 21-inning shutout streak ended in the first inning when Royals first baseman Billy Butler hit a two-run homer, but Detroit ended up scoring in every inning but the fourth.

Though the Tigers have gotten some strong pitching from the top of their rotation, they need their lineup to become more consistent in order to maintain their lead in the AL Central.

"When you hold a team scoreless for a few innings and keep scoring, it is going to deflate them," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said.

Detroit always seems to be confident at the plate in matchups with Davies (4-8, 6.11 ERA).

Davies has a 7.01 ERA in losing five straight starts against the Tigers and is 1-6 with a 6.03 ERA in seven career starts.

The right-hander is coming off his second win in 11 starts since April 30, yielding one run in five innings of Kansas City's 14-6 victory over Minnesota on Tuesday night. It was his first win since June 13, against Cincinnati.

Detroit will counter with Armando Galarraga (6-10, 5.23), who has enjoyed tremendous success against Kansas City, going 2-0 with a 1.67 ERA while striking out 28 in 27 innings during four starts.

Galarraga, though, is 1-2 with a 7.64 ERA in his last three outings. A sore throat caused him to miss his previously scheduled start Wednesday.

In his last outing, the right-hander earned a win despite giving up four runs and eight hits while walking five in five innings of Detroit's 10-8 victory over Minnesota on Aug. 7.

He'll face a Royals team that has lost three of four, scoring a combined four runs in the defeats. Kansas City is batting .232 over its last 11 road contests, losing eight.

Butler, however, has remained hot, batting .391 with three homers, six doubles and 14 RBIs in his last 12 games. The first baseman is hitting .419 in 19 games at Detroit.

Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera is coming off a big performance, going 4 for 5 with three RBIs. He hit a two-run homer in the eighth, connecting for the 24th time this year.

Cabrera is batting .383 at home, where he has three homers and eight RBIs in his last five games.

Detroit veteran Carlos Guillen, who has been nursing leg and shoulder injuries, is batting .295 over his last 21 games. Guillen, who has been used primarily as a designated hitter, went 3 for 5 with four RBIs in his best game of the season.

"I know I can't do everything, so I'm just trying to get good at-bats," Guillen said.