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Tigers aim to push winning streak to four games

Sep 8, 2007 - 1:48 PM Seattle (74-65) at Detroit (76-65) 7:05 pm EDT

DETROIT (Ticker) - The Detroit Tigers look to continue their late-season surge for a playoff spot in the second game of a weekend series against the Seattle Mariners on Saturday.

In Friday's series opener, Justin Verlander shined for eight innings and speedy Curtis Granderson joined an elite class as the Tigers coasted to a 6-1 victory.

Granderson's solo homer made him just the sixth player since 1900 with at least 20 homers, 20 triples and 20 doubles in a season. Kansas City's George Brett was the last to accomplish the feat in 1979.

Nate Robertson (7-11, 4.95 ERA) gets the call for Detroit, which is just three games behind the New York Yankees (79-62) in the American League wild card chase. The lefthander is seeking his first win since August 12.

In his pervious start, Robertson allowed two runs and four hits over six innings but did not figure into the decision at Oakland last Sunday. On May 9, Seattle tagged Robertson for six runs in a 9-2 win here.

The Mariners counter with Jeff Weaver (6-11, 5.85), who is just 1-4 against Detroit, which drafted the righthander 14th overall out of Fresno State in 1998. Most recently, Weaver surrendered seven runs over five frames in a loss to the Tigers on July 15.

In his last two outings, the 6-5 Weaver has allowed 10 runs and 16 hits while failing to make it out of the fifth inning.

Seattle, which has lost 12 of its last 13 games, has fallen four games behind New York in the wild card race.