• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Blue Jays-Tigers Preview

Jul 24, 2010 - 12:45 AM Toronto (48-48) at Detroit (50-44), 7:05 p.m. EDT

After a rough series following the All-Star break, Miguel Cabrera is back to resembling an AL MVP candidate.

Cabrera looks to continue his surge and lead the Detroit Tigers to a third straight victory when they continue a four-game home series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday night.

Detroit (50-44) was swept in four games at Cleveland after the break, with the All-Star first baseman going 2 for 14 with one RBI.

Cabrera has bounced back to go 9 for 17 with two homers and six RBIs in the last four games. His RBI double snapped a tie and triggered a three-run rally in the eighth inning in Thursday's 5-2 win in the series opener. Friday night's game was postponed due to rain and will be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader Sunday.

Cabrera has reached base in 32 of 33 games and is hitting .347 with 24 homers and a league-high 85 RBIs.

"He's one of the best players in the game, and at some point he'll probably go down as one of the best to ever play the game if he keeps his health," manager Jim Leyland said. "You don't find guys that have that kind of power and that kind of elasticity in their swings. When he's locked in, he's as good as it gets. That's just the way it is."

Cabrera, batting .477 with 15 RBIs in 12 home games this month, has hit .441 with 11 RBIs against Toronto since the start of last season.

Detroit played Thursday without Carlos Guillen (personal matter), and rookie Brennan Boesch got the day off after going 1 for 14 in a three-game series earlier this week against Texas.

Toronto (48-48) failed to score after John Buck's two-run homer in the second inning en route to its third loss in four games.

"It isn't like we never did anything the rest of the night," Buck said. "But after the second inning, every time we hit something hard, it was either right at someone, or they ran it down."

Buck, hitting .375 this month, ended a 14-game homerless drought and upped the Blue Jays' major league-best total to 144. Jose Bautista leads baseball with 26 but has none in seven career games at Comerica Park.

Rick Porcello (4-7, 5.63 ERA) will try to slow down Toronto after going 0-3 with a 5.72 ERA in his last four outings. Porcello pitched well last Saturday, allowing one run in eight innings in a 2-1, 11-inning loss at Cleveland in his return to the majors after being sent down due to ineffectiveness.

"I felt good," Porcello told the Tigers' official website. "I had a good mix of four-seamers and offspeed pitches. I tinkered with my slider in Triple-A and threw it a lot today and it was effective."

The 21-year-old right-hander went 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA in two starts against Toronto last year, allowing Bautista to go 3 for 5.

Toronto will start Shaun Marcum (8-4, 3.36), also coming off a solid return to the rotation. He had been on the disabled list with elbow inflammation before allowing one run over five innings in a 10-1 win over Baltimore on Sunday.

Marcum improved to 5-2 with a 4.14 ERA in 10 road starts.

The right-hander is 1-1 with a 5.28 ERA in five appearances against the Tigers, making two starts.