Tigers at Twins
Shane Greene's sizzling first month with his new team came to a screeching halt his last time out. The Detroit Tigers' right-hander looks to bounce back from a poor outing when he faces the host Minnesota Twins in Wednesday's series finale.
Greene gave up a total of one earned run in 23 innings over his first three starts after being acquired from the New York Yankees in the offseason. However, he was torched for eight runs and nine hits in four innings Friday against the Cleveland Indians as his ERA climbed from 0.39 to 3.00. The Tigers hope that Greene can help them bounce back from a 3-2 loss Tuesday as their three-game winning streak came to an end. The Twins, who have won three of their last four games, got a quality start from Mike Pelfrey on Tuesday and eye a similar effort from Phil Hughes.
TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FSN Detroit
PITCHING MATCHUP: Tigers RH Shane Greene (3-1, 3.00 ERA) vs. Twins RH Phil Hughes (0-4, 4.39)
Greene faced the Twins in his season debut April 9 and yielded an unearned run and four hits over eight innings. Detroit won his first three starts by a combined margin of 18-2 before absorbing a 13-1 setback against the Indians his last time out. In 31 combined at-bats against the current Minnesota roster, Greene has allowed a .161 batting average and no home runs.
Hughes has received virtually no run support this season as the Twins scored a total of four runs in his four starts. They were shut out Friday versus Seattle as Hughes took his fourth straight loss despite striking out nine and allowing two runs over eight stellar frames. Hughes is 7-7 with a 4.07 ERA against Detroit, including a 4-0 loss in his season debut April 6.
WALK-OFFS
1. Greene's season high in strikeouts (five) came against Minnesota on April 9.
2. Miguel Cabrera is 16-for-34 with five home runs and 12 RBIs against Hughes.
3. Tigers C Alex Avila is 0-for-12 over his last five games and 3-for-33 since starting the season 4-for-8.