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Verlander takes the mound for slumping Tigers

May 20, 2008 - 1:33 PM Seattle (18-27) at Detroit (17-27) 7:05 pm EDT

DETROIT (Ticker) - Justin Verlander hasn't had much trouble when facing the Seattle Mariners - and he hopes that trend continues.

Verlander and the Detroit Tigers will try to turn things around when they welcome in the Mariners on Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series.

The 25-year-old owns an impressive 4-0 record with a 2.63 ERA over four career starts in the series against Seattle.

After recording a career-high 18 wins and earning his first All-Star appearance last year, Verlander (1-7, 6.05 ERA) has been one of the biggest disappointments in the American League this season.

In his last outing, the righthander gave up two runs and six hits in six innings of a 2-0 loss at Kansas City last Wednesday. Detroit's offense has scored just two runs or fewer in seven of his nine starts.

Carlos Silva (3-2, 4.17) takes the ball for the Mariners, who three of their last four games. The righthander allowed two hits in just 6 1/3 frames but did not figure into the decision of a 4-3 loss at Texas.

In 12 career appearances - 11 starts - against the Tigers, Silva is 5-3 with a 4.40 ERA in the series. Most recently, he tossed 7 2/3 scoreless innings to beat Detroit at home on September 24.