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Tigers-Royals Preview

May 27, 2009 - 5:26 AM By KATE HEDLIN STATS Writer

Detroit (25-18) at Kansas City (22-23), 2:10 p.m. EDT

It only took a handful of games for Detroit Tigers rookie Rick Porcello to become comfortable pitching in the majors.

Porcello looks to win his fifth straight start Wednesday in the finale of a three-game series with the Kansas City Royals.

After spending 2008 at Class-A Lakeland in the Florida State league, Porcello (5-3 3.55 ERA) overcame a rough start to his first season in the majors - 1-3 with a 6.23 ERA in April - to dominate during this month. He's won his last four starts while posting a 1.13 ERA, allowing three runs over 24 innings.

Porcello gave up one run and six hits over six innings of a 4-3 victory over Colorado on Friday to match Dave Rozema's 1977 team record for consecutive wins by a pitcher 20 years and under. Porcello doesn't turn 21 until December.

"I still think there's a lot of things I can improve on," he said.

A win Wednesday would make Porcello the first major leaguer 20 years old or younger to win five consecutive starts since Dwight Gooden in 1985 with the Mets.

Porcello, though, struggled against Kansas City in his third big-league start on April 24, surrendering five runs over six innings of a 6-1 loss. He gave up two home runs in that start as he was beaten by Zach Greinke.

Porcello at least won't have to worry about outdoing Greinke, who notched his eighth victory and fifth complete game in the Royals' 6-1 win over Detroit on Tuesday.

Jose Guillen homered and had an RBI single for Kansas City, which had been held to a total of seven runs in its previous five games.

Detroit opened this series tallying 19 hits in a 13-1 victory Monday, but it was held to six hits for the third time in four games Tuesday.

Miguel Cabrera had one of those hits and he's batting .404 (21 for 52) with 14 RBIs in the last 13 games.

"With Cabrera, even if you make your pitch, he's one of the few guys who can still do damage," Greinke said.

The Tigers have dropped three of four after a season-high seven-game winning streak, scoring five runs and hitting .191 in the three losses.

Kansas City, which is winless in its last five series, will try to snap that streak when it hands the ball to Kyle Davies (2-3, 4.78).

Davies is winless since beating Toronto on April 30, though he has a 2.84 ERA over his last three starts. He's lost his last two, including at St. Louis on Friday after giving up two runs and three hits over six innings of a 5-0 defeat.

The right-hander has lost his last four starts against the Tigers, getting tagged for 19 runs in 20 innings. He allowed seven runs over 5 1-3 innings of a 9-1 loss April 25 to fall to 1-5 with a 5.68 ERA in his career against Detroit.

Curtis Granderson, batting .143 (3 for 21) in his last five games, is 4 for 13 against Davies with a triple and two homers - one in April. Cabrera has hit .300 (6 for 20) with two homers against him.