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Blue Jays-Tigers Preview

Sep 13, 2009 - 4:47 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Toronto (64-77) at Detroit (75-65), 1:05 p.m. EDT

A week ago, the Detroit Tigers managed to find ways to win. That hasn't been the case over the last five days.

The first-place Tigers look to avoid extending their season-high losing streak to six games when they host the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.

Detroit (75-66) blew a three-run lead and fell 8-6 to Toronto on Saturday for their fifth straight loss since winning six in a row to open September. The Tigers have dropped the first two of this four-game series against the fourth-place Blue Jays (65-77) after being swept at last-place Kansas City earlier this week.

The Tigers have a five-game lead in the AL Central over the Chicago White Sox, a club they play six more times. Detroit is 5 1/2 ahead of Minnesota and those clubs play seven more games.

"I think it's a case that you never have the appreciation of how hard it is to win games up here," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. "And I think we're struggling through that a little bit right now."

Vernon Wells and Marco Scutaro had three hits and Aaron Hill hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the ninth for the Blue Jays, who've won three in a row and are 5-1 against the Tigers this season.

"It's great to see us keep coming back," said Hill, who broke the single-season Toronto record for RBIs by a second baseman with 95.

Toronto hit four home runs Saturday and has 13 against Detroit this season.

Though he's batting .258, Wells is 5 for 7 in the series and hitting .409 versus the Tigers in 2009. Hill, meanwhile, is 8 for 17 in his last four games and hitting .333 against Detroit this season.

Miguel Cabrera hit a three-run homer and Curtis Granderson added a solo shot for the Tigers, who must win the next two games to avoid their first series loss at home since July 21-23 against Seattle.

Cabrera, a homer shy of reaching 30 for a third straight season and fifth time in his career, is 10 for 22 with three home runs and eight RBIs against Toronto this season.

Granderson's career-high 27th homer was the first hit in his last 14 at-bats.

Detroit is batting .293 during its six-game skid but has a 7.07 ERA in that stretch. The Tigers hope rookie Rick Porcello (12-8, 4.26 ERA) can help turn things around as he tries for a third consecutive victory in this contest.

The 20-year-old right-hander is 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA in his last three outings, but allowed four runs in six innings in a 7-5 loss at Kansas City on Tuesday.

Porcello's only previous start against the Blue Jays came in his major league debut when he allowed four runs and nine hits in five innings in a 6-2 defeat at Toronto on April 9.

Ricky Romero (12-7, 4.14) was the winning pitcher in that game, giving up two runs in six innings in his big-league debut, and will face Porcello again Sunday.

The left-hander tries for a second straight victory after allowing three runs in 6 2-3 innings of a 6-3 victory over Minnesota on Tuesday.

"He's got great stuff," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said of Romero, who was 1-3 with a 6.32 ERA in his previous six starts. "The guy can throw the ball 94 miles an hour with a great changeup and a great breaking ball. He's a nice pitcher."