Orioles  5    Tigers  6

Baltimore Orioles (44-60) at Detroit Tigers (54-49), 7:05 p.m.

Sports Network | August 3, 2009

(Sports Network) - With their lead atop the American League's Central Division beginning to shrink, the Detroit Tigers start up an important seven-game homestand with the first of four straight meetings with the Baltimore Orioles tonight at Comerica Park.

Detroit lost four times on a six-game road trip that concluded with Sunday's 11-1 setback to the rebuilding Cleveland Indians and enter this evening's test with a tenuous 1 1/2-game edge on second-place Chicago in the AL Central race. Minnesota, which is lurking three games back in third place, will host the Tigers for three games beginning Friday.

The Tigers will have their best pitcher on the mound for the opener of this residency, with All-Star Justin Verlander ready to take aim at his 13th victory of 2009. The AL's current strikeout leader is coming off a 13-punchout performance Wednesday at Texas, where he held the Rangers to four runs (3 earned) over seven innings to earn his most recent victory.

The flame-throwing righty had allowed two runs or less in three straight starts prior to Wednesday's win, including a complete-game effort against the rival White Sox on July 24 in which he yielded one unearned run and six hits.

Verlander also owns a win over the Orioles this season, a 6-3 decision at Camden Yards on May 30 in which he was touched for three runs through six innings, and is 4-0 with a stellar 1.85 earned run average in five lifetime starts against Baltimore.

Detroit will be counting on a long and effective outing from its ace tonight, since the team had to play two extra-inning games against the Indians this past weekend and received a poor showing from starter Armando Galarraga (5-10) in Sunday's loss. The right-hander was rocked for eight runs and 11 hits before being removed with two outs in the sixth inning.

"I got behind a lot of guys and when I got behind, it was hard to throw strikes," Galarraga admitted. "It was just a tough game for me."

Baltimore's pitching problems were even greater on Sunday, as the team was tagged for a whopping 23 hits in an 18-10 home loss to Boston. The defeat was the third in a row and 12th in 16 games for the Orioles, who are buried in last place in the tough AL East. In addition, Baltimore has gone just 2-7 on the road over that stretch.

O's starter Jason Berken (1-9) lasted only 1 1/3 innings and surrendered six runs on seven hits while walking two batters, helping put his club in an early 7-0 hole it could not climb out of.

"I feel bad for (my teammates), obviously, and I wish I could have pitched deeper into the game," Berken said. "It's not a trend I want to continue, with the bullpen getting beaten up. I just have to do a better job of pitching deeper into the game."

On a positive note, Baltimore pounded out 15 hits on the afternoon and got home runs from Adam Jones and Ty Wigginton as well as three RBI out of Nick Markakis. Jones finished 3-for-4 with three runs scored and also knocked in three runs, while Wigginton and Brian Roberts also had three-hit days.

The Orioles will send out highly-regarded prospect Chris Tillman to make his second major league start in tonight's opener. The promising young right- hander had a rough debut on Wednesday, as he gave up three solo homers and seven hits in a 4 2/3-inning no-decision versus Kansas City.

The 21-year-old Tillman, a second-round draft choice of Seattle in 2006 who was sent to the Orioles as part of last year's blockbuster trade involving pitcher Erik Bedard, had been carving up the International League prior to his recent promotion. In 18 starts for Triple-A Norfolk, he posted an 8-6 record with a 2.70 ERA and struck out 99 hitters in 96 2/3 innings of work.

These teams split a four-game series in Baltimore back in May. In their only visit to the Motor City last season, the Orioles won two of three meetings from the Tigers.