The Detroit Tigers may be on something of a turnaround after winning two of three from the Texas Rangers at home and climbing to within two games of .500. A West Coast road trip might not be the best way to continue a winning streak, but the Tigers will be facing the bottom two teams in the AL West.
Phil Coke makes his second start for Detroit. His first one went well, as he allowed two runs and three hits in 6 2/3 innings versus the Royals. Even more impressive was his seven strikeouts. Unfortunately, Coke didn't get the win he deserved as the Tigers couldn't score any runs against Bruce Chen. (I still can't believe I just typed that sentence.)
The Oakland Athletics counter with Gio Gonzalez, who's off to a fantastic start. In his first two outings of the season, he's allowed just one run and 10 hits over 13 innings. Maybe the Tigers can present more of a challenge than the Twins and Mariners. Gonzalez has certainly had his struggles against Detroit, compiling an 0-3 record and 10.22 ERA in three starts.
With the lefty Gonzalez on the mound, the Tigers have Casper Wells and Ramon Santiago in the starting lineup. Batting Wells in the No. 2 spot could be interesting, as he brings some power and speed to the top of the order.
Here are those starting lineups:
Detroit Tigers
1. Austin Jackson, CF
2. Casper Wells, RF
3. Ryan Raburn, LF
4. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
5. Victor Martinez, C
6. Jhonny Peralta, SS
7. Brennan Boesch, DH
8. Brandon Inge, 3B
9. Ramon Santiago, 2B
Oakland Athletics
1. Coco Crisp, CF
2. Daric Barton, 1B
3. Conor Jackson, RF
4. Josh Willingham, LF
5. Hideki Matsui, DH
6. Mark Ellis, 2B
7. Kurt Suzuki, C
8. Andy LaRoche, 3B
9. Cliff Pennington, SS
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