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Nationals-Tigers Preview

Jun 16, 2010 - 4:09 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Washington (31-33) at Detroit (33-29), 7:05 p.m. EDT

Interleague play certainly seems to bring the best out of Detroit's Justin Verlander. Lately, it's done the same for the Tigers as a team.

Verlander looks to continue his success against NL opponents while trying to help the Tigers to a sixth consecutive interleague victory and fifth straight win overall Wednesday night against the Washington Nationals.

Verlander (7-4, 3.56 ERA), who has won 72 career games since breaking into the majors with Detroit in 2005, is 10-1 with a 2.88 ERA in 14 career interleague starts.

That includes the right-hander's last outing Friday, when he gave up two runs and was not bothered by four walks in seven innings of a 6-2 win over Pittsburgh for his second consecutive victory.

"He has good enough stuff to where, when he makes mistakes, he can get by," Tigers catcher Alex Avila said. "That's what a No. 1 is supposed to do. Even on his bad days, he pitches well."

Facing the Nationals franchise for the first time, Verlander looks to help the Tigers (34-29) match their longest winning streak of the season after a 7-4 win over Washington in Tuesday's opener. Magglio Ordonez had four hits and Ryan Raburn hit a three-run homer while starting in place of injured rookie outfielder Austin Jackson (back spasms).

"It feels really good around here, because this four-game winning streak is what we needed," Tuesday's winning pitcher Max Scherzer said.

Though he's batting .180, Raburn drove in four runs and could be back in the lineup if Jackson is unable to return Wednesday.

"It's about time that I helped win us a game," Raburn said.

Winners of four in a row over Washington (31-34), Detroit is 5-2 in interleague play this season. The Tigers, who swept Pittsburgh over the weekend, have scored 27 runs and hit .306 during their five-game interleague winning streak.

They've done most of it without Ordonez, who returned Tuesday after missing six games with a strain in his side.

Ordonez is 7 for 14 with five RBIs in four interleague games this season, and 17 for 26 with 12 RBIs in seven career games versus the Nationals franchise. He's 2 for 2 with a home run against Washington probable starter Livan Hernandez (5-3, 2.28), who looks to build on his first victory since May 4.

The veteran right-hander was 0-2 with a 3.44 ERA over his previous six starts before he gave up two runs in six innings of a 4-2 win over Pittsburgh on Thursday.

"One month and five days I didn't win a game, but I'll take it," Hernandez told the Nationals' official website. "Let's see what happens. I hope to continue to pitch well."

Though Hernandez is 19-17 with a 4.73 ERA in 46 interleague starts, he's faced the Tigers once and allowed a run in seven innings of an 11-1 win while with Minnesota on May 2, 2008.

Ryan Zimmerman went 0 for 3 on Tuesday for the Nationals, who have lost three of four. Though he's batting .302, Zimmerman is 5 for 26 against AL opponents this season.