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Tigers, A's start four-game series at Coliseum

May 10, 2012 - 2:32 PM (Sports Network) - Detroit's Max Scherzer may not have gotten a win last time out, but the right-hander put forth a start that could turn his season around.

Scherzer gets the call for the Tigers tonight in the first of four straight games against Bartolo Colon and the Oakland Athletics.

Following a loss to the Yankees on April 29, his second straight and third in four starts, in which he walked a career-high seven batters, Scherzer corrected a mechanical flaw in his delivery after looking at video and put forth his best effort of the season. The 27-year-old limited the White Sox to one run over seven innings on Saturday, yielding four hits -- one a solo homer -- while striking out nine in a no-decision.

More importantly, Scherzer did not walk a batter in his club's 3-2 setback.

"He was terrific out there today," said Detroit manager Jim Leyland about Scherzer. "That's the Scherzer we need and that's the Scherzer we're capable of getting every night."

The former first-round pick is still 1-3 with a 6.32 earned run average on the season and has split two career starts against the Athletics with a 4.22 ERA.

Oakland hopes that Colon is over an upset stomach that forced him out of his outing on Saturday against the Rays after five innings. The right-hander was touched for three solo homers in a no-decision.

"Bartolo took the mound a little under the weather," manager Bob Melvin told Oakland's website. "He was a little sick so we got him out of there."

Colon is now winless in his last three starts, going 0-2 since back-to-back wins in which he pitched scoreless ball. The 38-year-old is 3-2 with a 2.83 ERA in seven starts this season and 8-9 with a 5.25 ERA in 24 career encounters with the Tigers, all but one of those starts.

The A's will try to rebound behind their veteran starter tonight after having a three-game win streak halted with Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the visiting Blue Jays.

Josh Reddick and Jonny Gomes had an RBI apiece and Jemile Weeks added a pair of hits for the Athletics, while Tyson Ross allowed three runs on five hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings.

The Tigers are also coming off a losing effort, dropping a tight 2-1 decision to the Mariners yesterday. Detroit has now split its last 10 games and will look to avoid consecutive setbacks for the first time since a five-game slide from April 22-27.

Drew Smyly got a no-decision for Detroit despite allowing only one run over six innings. Luke Putkonen gave up the deciding run in the eighth inning to suffer the loss as the Tigers' offense was shut down by Seattle's Jason Vargas over eight innings.

"Smyly did a great job, their guy (Vargas) did a great job. We just couldn't get any runs on the board," Leyland said.

Austin Jackson supplied the offense with a sacrifice fly that scored Gerald Laird in the sixth inning for Detroit, which played without Andy Dirks due to a sore hamstring.

The Tigers and A's split 10 encounters last season as well as eight meetings in Oakland.