• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Tigers-Royals Preview

Jun 4, 2010 - 2:10 AM By ALAN FERGUSON STATS Writer

Detroit (27-25) at Kansas City (22-32), 8:10 p.m. EDT

After working on his mechanics in the minors, Max Scherzer made an impressive return to the Detroit Tigers.

Like Scherzer, the Tigers' offense appears poised to rebound from its recent struggles.

While hoping to get more help from his teammates, the Detroit right-hander will try to lead his team to its longest win streak in a month in Friday night's opener of a three-game road series against the Kansas City Royals.

After two seasons in Arizona, Scherzer (2-4, 6.42 ERA) opened his first AL campaign with six scoreless innings in Kansas City on April 7. When he was sent to Triple-A Toledo on May 15, the right-hander was 0-3 with a 13.50 ERA in his previous four outings.

Instead of sulking over his demotion, Scherzer worked on his form and allowed one run over 15 innings. He was recalled Sunday when Dontrelle Willis was designated for assignment.

Starting against Oakland that same day, Scherzer struck out a career-high 14 and allowed two hits over 5 2-3 scoreless innings of a 10-2 win.

"I think he was hungry to get back here, and it shows," manager Jim Leyland said. "Sending a guy down isn't punishment, it is hopefully to get results like this."

The 10 runs were the Tigers' best output in a month and came after they averaged 3.1 runs over a 1-6 stretch. They scored six runs in the next three games, but took a 12-6 win over Cleveland on Thursday.

Putting behind the controversial call that cost Armando Galarraga a perfect game the previous night, Detroit (28-25) recorded its season high for runs and had 17 hits, including four from rookie Austin Jackson and another homer from Miguel Cabrera. Magglio Ordonez also snapped a 3-for-20 slump by finishing a single shy of a cycle and driving in five runs.

Jackson was 7 for 10 in the final two games against the Indians and is 21 for 57 (.368) in his last 14 contests. He is 8 for 24 (.333) against the Royals this season.

Cabrera has moved among the AL triple crown leaders by batting .409 with eight homers and 15 RBIs in the past 11 games. He's hit .400 with two homers against the Royals this season and .351 in 44 career matchups.

Cabrera will face a Kansas City team that has an AL-worst 4.81 ERA and a 5.37 mark while dropping five of six. The Royals (22-33) allowed the Los Angeles Angels to take a four-run lead into the eighth inning Thursday before their rally fell short in a 5-4 defeat.

They'll try to bounce back in Bruce Chen's second start of the season. Chen (1-0, 2.70), moved into the rotation for an injured Gil Meche, allowed one run and two hits over four innings Sunday, but the Royals fell apart from there in an 8-1 loss in Boston.

"He did a great job, everything you could've hoped for," manager Ned Yost told the Royals' official website.

Chen is 0-2 with a 7.24 ERA in five career starts against the Tigers, while Scherzer is 1-1 with a 2.12 ERA in three matchups versus the Royals.

The St. Louis native won in Kansas City last season with the Diamondbacks, but was denied a victory in the April 7 matchup. He took the loss in a 10-5 defeat five days later as he gave up five runs - two earned - over five innings.

The Tigers haven't won three straight since a season-best, five-game run April 28-May 2.