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Athletics-Tigers Preview

May 28, 2010 - 4:09 AM By MIKE LIPKA STATS Writer

Oakland (24-23) at Detroit (25-21), 7:05 p.m. EDT

The Oakland Athletics remain surprising contenders in the AL West after winning five of six, and some renewed confidence on the road may help them stay near the top of the division.

The A's will have Ben Sheets on the mound as they begin a four-game set against the Detroit Tigers on Friday night, with Oakland looking to win a third straight road game for the first time this year.

After the A's (25-23) opened a 10-game trip with a 5-1 loss at Baltimore on Tuesday, they had dropped six straight games on the road, scoring six runs in that stretch.

They totaled 13 runs while taking the last two from the Orioles, though, scoring five in the eighth inning Thursday to notch a come-from-behind 7-5 victory. Kevin Kouzmanoff put Oakland ahead with a three-run double.

"We've had some really big hits on the season, we've had some walkoff wins," A's manager Bob Geren said. "(But) when you're down that far, that late, to put a gap like that and drive in three is probably the biggest hit of the year."

The club, which finished last in the division in 2009, trails first-place Texas by 1 1/2 games, but it will likely need better pitching on the road to stay there. The A's have a 5.37 ERA while going 7-14 on the road - as opposed to a 2.79 ERA while going 18-9 at home.

Oakland hopes Sheets (2-3, 5.04 ERA) has begun to pitch like the ace he once was before elbow surgery sidelined him for all of 2009. The A's signed the former Milwaukee right-hander to a one-year, $10 million contract in January.

Following a rocky first month, Sheets is 1-0 with a 2.52 ERA in his last four starts. He held San Francisco to two hits in six innings of the A's 3-0 win Sunday, striking out eight.

"My arm is right, my eyesight is right and it feels like I'm starting to make adjustments in time instead of too late," Sheets said.

Detroit's scheduled starter may be going in the other direction. Dontrelle Willis allowed two or fewer runs in three of his four April starts, but he's 0-1 with a 7.07 ERA this month.

Willis (1-2, 4.97) hasn't completed six innings in any of his three May outings, walking 13 in 14 innings. He retired 11 of the first 12 Los Angeles Dodgers he faced last Friday but still allowed four runs in 5 1-3 innings of a 4-1 defeat.

"I'm not OK with that," Willis told the Tigers' official website. "You have to finish out games. You have to finish out innings, and I didn't do that. But it's one of those things where you have to continue to build and get better."

Detroit (25-21) returns home after going 3-4 on a West Coast trip. The Tigers began the trip by sweeping a two-game set at Oakland, but finished it with back-to-back losses in Seattle, blowing a three-run lead in the eighth inning of Wednesday's 5-4 defeat.

They faced the Mariners without Miguel Cabrera, who missed the series for the birth of his daughter. The slugger, who leads the team with 10 homers and 40 RBIs, is expected to return Friday.

The Tigers may also get a boost from playing at Comerica Park, where they've won 10 of 13.