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Tigers-Angels Preview

Aug 25, 2009 - 7:32 AM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer

Detroit (66-58) at Los Angeles (74-49), 10:05 p.m. EDT

If the Detroit Tigers want to create some breathing room atop the AL Central, they might want to continue taking advantage of a red-hot Miguel Cabrera. Especially on the road.

Cabrera will try to help the Tigers win for the sixth time in 20 games away from home Tuesday night when they face the West-leading Los Angeles Angels.

The Tigers (66-58) lead the division by 3 1/2 games over Chicago. They could have a wider gap if not for their 26-38 mark on the road, ranking only better than last-place teams Kansas City (22-37) and Baltimore (21-43) in the AL.

Cabrera did his part to help Detroit improve its poor road mark, going 3 for 5 with two doubles, a homer and five RBIs in a 10-7 victory Monday in the opener of this three-game series.

"That's what we need, to swing the bat good and score a lot of runs," said Cabrera, who accounted for three of the Tigers' runs in their season-high seven-run sixth inning.

Cabrera has been doing just that lately, hitting .541 with three homers and 13 RBIs over the last nine games. However, the Tigers have won five times over that span and are 5-14 on the road since July 3 despite the four-time All-Star's .375 average and 14 RBIs.

The Tigers will turn to Jarrod Washburn (8-7, 3.18 ERA), who is looking to get on track after being acquired from Seattle on July 31. Since moving to Detroit, Washburn is 0-1 with a 6.04 ERA while serving up 24 hits - eight homers - in 25 1-3 innings.

The left-hander was tagged for six runs and five hits, including a career high-tying four homers, in six innings while not getting a decision in a 7-6 win over the Mariners on Thursday.

"It hasn't gone the way I wanted so far," Washburn said.

Washburn hasn't fared too well against Los Angeles, posting a 1-5 record and 5.97 ERA in his last six starts. He was a member of the Angels from 1998-2005, helping them to their only World Series title in 2002.

The Angels, who lead Texas by five games in the West, have dropped four of five while getting outscored 34-17.

John Lackey (8-6, 4.00) will attempt to continue his dominance of Detroit and rebound from a rough outing.

The right-hander is 6-0 with a 3.31 ERA in eight starts against the Tigers but hasn't faced them since 2007. He could use another strong performance versus Detroit after allowing six runs and walking a season high-tying four in 5 1-3 innings of Thursday's 11-3 loss at Cleveland.

That was in stark contrast to his previous start five days earlier when he yielded one run and struck out six in seven innings of a 5-1 win at Baltimore.

"The only thing for John that was uncharacteristic for him was to walk four guys," manager Mike Scioscia told the Angels' official Web site after the defeat to the Indians. "He had to work hard to get out of some innings because of that."