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Tigers-Twins Preview

Jun 30, 2010 - 4:48 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Detroit (41-34) at Minnesota (41-35), 1:10 p.m. EDT

It's only the end of June, but Minnesota and Detroit are showing why the race for the AL Central title could come down to the wire for a third consecutive season.

The Twins look to remain atop the division standings heading into July with a second straight victory over the Tigers in the finale of their three-game set Wednesday at Target Field.

After Detroit moved into first place with a 7-5 win over Minnesota on Monday, the Twins (42-35) regained a one-half game lead Tuesday with an 11-4 rout. With the victory, Minnesota also avoided a seventh loss in eight games.

The Twins had led the division since early April, but their 11-15 record in June has allowed Detroit (41-35) and the Chicago White Sox - 1 1/2 games behind Minnesota - to get back in the race. This division has needed 163 games to crown a champion in each of the last two seasons. The Twins beat the Tigers 6-5 in 12 innings in the 2009 tiebreaker.

Minnesota improved to 5-3 in this season's series after Denard Span tied a modern-era record with three triples and drove in five runs Tuesday.

Span, 9 for 20 with eight RBIs in his last five games, became the first player to triple three times in a game since Rafael Furcal on April 21, 2002. He is a .403 lifetime hitter against the Tigers.

"A triple for me is like hitting a home run for a power hitter," said Span, now tied for the major-league lead with seven triples.

The Twins hope starter Kevin Slowey (7-5, 4.79 ERA) can avoid a third straight loss in this contest. The right-hander allowed five runs in six innings of a 5-2 loss to the New York Mets on Friday, falling to 0-2 with a 12.41 ERA in his last three starts.

"I still have a ways to go," Slowey told the Twins' official website. "I know I'm better than this."

Facing Detroit could help Slowey end his rough stretch. He's 4-0 despite a 5.93 ERA in six starts against the Tigers.

Detroit's Miguel Cabrera is 4 for 13 with a double and two home runs against Slowey. He's also 11 for 23 with seven RBIs in his last six games overall, and 12 for 28 with seven RBIs against the Twins in 2010.

The Tigers' latest defeat - their sixth in 10 games since a season-high seven-game win streak - came hours after learning key reliever Joel Zumaya will miss the rest of the season with a fractured right elbow suffered in Monday's victory.

"We'll go on," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "Somebody needs to step up and we'll go on."

Hard-throwing Andy Oliver (0-1, 3.00) makes his second career start Thursday for the Tigers.

The 22-year-old left-hander allowed two runs and five hits over six innings in his major league debut, a 3-1 loss at Atlanta on Friday.

"Coming from the left side, 95-97, that's pretty tough," catcher Alex Avila told the Tigers' official website.