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Athletics-Tigers Preview

May 30, 2010 - 9:55 PM By ANDY LEFKOWITZ STATS Editor

Oakland (27-23) at Detroit (25-23), 1:05 p.m. EDT

A power surge has pushed Miguel Cabrera among the major league leaders in home runs. The Oakland Athletics are probably glad they won't have to face the Detroit Tigers slugger too much longer.

Detroit will try to earn a four-game split with Oakland on Monday afternoon when the teams meet for the final time this season.

Cabrera hit his 14th homer, a three-run shot in the eighth inning that helped propel the Tigers (26-23) to a 10-2 victory Sunday that halted a season-high four-game losing streak.

The first baseman has five homers over the last four games with three coming against the A's on Friday. He's tied with the White Sox's Paul Konerko for second in the majors.

Cabrera also matched season highs with four hits and four RBIs Sunday, and is batting .352. Against Oakland this year, he is 10 for 21 with five homers and 10 RBIs.

"There's not a lot you can do with Cabrera," A's manager Bob Geren said. "He's so good and so strong that even his mistakes are trouble."

Looking to slow down Cabrera, Trevor Cahill (3-2, 3.31 ERA) will try to win his third straight start for Oakland.

After losing to the Angels on May 16, the right-hander has surrendered two runs and eight hits over 12 2-3 innings in victories against San Francisco and Baltimore. He pitched six innings of two-hit ball in a 6-1 win over the Orioles on Wednesday.

However, Cahill's only career start in Detroit was a disaster. As a rookie, he was tagged for seven runs and seven hits in 2 1-3 innings of an 11-7 loss May 17, 2009.

Oakland (27-24) had outscored Detroit 11-4 in the first two games before Sunday. Daric Barton extended his hitting streak to six games with a two-run homer for the A's, who struck out 17 times against emergency starter Max Scherzer, Phil Coke and Joel Zumaya.

Following an early season demotion, Scherzer fanned a career-high 14 in 5 2-3 innings just hours after being recalled from the minors because scheduled starter Armando Galarraga pitched in relief Friday.

"I don't want to get crazy and carried away, because this was one outing, but obviously that was pretty impressive," manager Jim Leyland said.

Leyland will next turn to ace Justin Verlander (5-3, 3.74), who will try to beat the A's for the second time this month. The right-hander scattered four hits over 6 2-3 scoreless innings in a 5-1 win at Oakland on May 19.

Verlander failed to win his fifth straight start Tuesday, allowing five runs in 7 1-3 innings of a 5-3 loss in Seattle.

Verlander is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in two starts against the A's at Comerica Park.