GDT: 9/22/10 - DET (76-75) VS KC (62-88) - 7:05 p.m. ET

Scherzer, Davies duel in rubber match

By Gina Mizell / MLB.com

For teams that are out of the playoff race, the final stretch of the 2010 season is about finding things to build on for the following year.

Max Scherzer looks like one of the key pieces for the Detroit Tigers moving forward.

The right-handed starter will go for win No. 12 while trying to help lift the Tigers to a series victory when they square off with the Royals on Wednesday in the rubber match of a three-game set between division rivals at Comerica Park.

Scherzer is 4-2 with a 2.13 ERA in his last 10 starts and picked up his first win since Aug. 26 in his last outing -- when he outdueled Edwin Jackson in a matchup that involved two pitchers who were traded for each other in the offseason in a three-way deal that involved the Tigers and D-backs. Scherzer allowed two hits, both of them solo home runs, in eight innings and fanned 11 batters for his second-highest strikeout total of the season.

"I made a couple mistakes, but I made a lot of good pitches tonight," Scherzer said after that game. "I thought those two runs were going to be the difference in the game ... the way Jackson was pitching, but the rest of the team came through."

Scherzer will be opposed by Kyle Davies, who will be aiming to rebound from just his second loss in 11 September starts since 2008 -- after he gave up five earned runs on eight hits over five innings against the Indians.

"For the first three innings, it looked like he was fixin' to get on a roll," Royals manger Ned Yost said of Davies after that game. "He gave up the two-run homer on a high change-up to [Shin-Soo] Choo and he really started laboring from that point on -- and never really recovered."

A few Detroit bats have found offensive success against Davies in their careers, as Miguel Cabrera is 9-for-34 lifetime with three home runs and five RBIs, while Jhonny Peralta is 9-for-17 with two doubles.

Royals: Aviles scorching at the plate
Since stepping in at second base for Chris Getz, who is still feeling the lingering effects of a concussion he suffered on Sept. 12, Mike Aviles has been hot offensively. He has recorded four home runs in his last 35 at-bats (he had two in his first 337 plate appearances), while recording at least one hit in 11 of 12 games. During the Royals' last homestand, he posted a .520 average (13-for-25) with seven RBIs and seven runs scored. On Tuesday, he went 3-for-6 with three RBIs and a run scored.

"All year has been an up and down battle with my elbow," said Aviles, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2009. "I've just been feeling myself out and trying to help the team as much as I can. Early in the year, I just felt like I couldn't drive the ball [like] I wanted to. And I really couldn't throw the ball as hard as I wanted to, either. Slowly but surely, I'm starting to settle in and get better, and feel better."

Tigers: Can't rely on youth alone
Manager Jim Leyland recently spoke about the Tigers' core of young players, which include rookies like Austin Jackson, Casper Wells and Will Rhymes, who have garnered both valuable experience and positive feedback during the 2010 season. Though Leyland said that he anticipates that some of those first-year players will still be very much in the mix again in 2011, he also stressed that the Tigers cannot solely rely on the youth in the same way that they have been forced to this season because of a slew of injuries.

"I think there [are] some ingredients here that are pretty young that I think can handle the job at this level at some point, for sure," Leyland said. "But if you think you can just take all young guys and go walk through a division, that's not going to happen. You're going to get your tail beat. ... You have to make sound judgments as an organization."

Worth noting
Closer Joakim Soria has not allowed a run in 20 2/3 consecutive innings. ... Billy Butler has recorded a hit in 100 consecutive series, already a club record. ... The Tigers have gotten a quality start in 13 of their last 17 contests at Comerica Park, dating back to Aug. 10. Detroit starters have gone 10-3 during that stretch with a 2.71 ERA. ... Seven rookies have hit a home run for the Tigers this season, the most first-year players to hit a long ball in the Majors this season. ... With two more runs scored, Austin Jackson would become the ninth player in Major League history since 1901 to tally 100 runs scored, 170 hits, 30 doubles, 10 triples and 20 stolen bases as a rookie. ... Ryan Raburn is hitting .335 (53-for-158) against the Royals this season.



Pitching matchup

TIGERS: RHP Max Scherzer (11-10, 3.54 ERA)
Two solo homers were all the damage Scherzer allowed in his duel with Edwin Jackson last week, striking out 11 White Sox over eight innings for his first win since Aug. 26. He has two losses and a no-decision against the Royals this year.

ROYALS: RHP Kyle Davies (8-10, 5.08 ERA)
Davies lost for only the second time in 11 September starts since 2008. He's 9-2 in those games after giving up five runs in an 11-4 loss to Cleveland. His command was off with just 52 of 92 pitches in the strike zone.




INJURY UPDATE:
• RHP Zach Miner (Partial tear in right elbow, 60-day DL on March 26, Had successful Tommy John surgery May 28, Out for Season),
• LHP Bobby Seay (Torn rotator cuff, 60-day DL on March 26, surgery on September 15, Out for Season),
• OF Magglio Ordonez (right ankle fracture, 15-day DL on July 25, Had surgery surgery Aug. 25, Out for Season),
• INF Danny Worth (bruised left heel, 15-day DL on August 4, Out for Season),
• RHP Joel Zumaya (non-displaced fracture of the olecranon, 60-day DL on June 29, Underwent elbow surgery July 12, Out for Season).
• Carlos Guillen (Bruised left knee, 15-day DL on August 23, Out for Season)


Out for Season



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Up next (Probable Pitchers)


• Friday, September 23,
OFF DAY

• Friday, September 24,
TIGERS (RHP Justin Verlander (17-8, 3.46 ERA)) VS TWINS (LHP Francisco Liriano (14-8, 3.44 ERA)), 7:05 p.m. ET (FS-D HD / AM 1270 & 97.1 FM)

• Saturday, September 25,
TIGERS (RHP Jeremy Bonderman (8-9, 4.92 ERA)) VS TWINS (RHP Carl Pavano (17-11, 3.60 ERA)), 7:05 p.m. ET (FS-D HD / AM 1270 & 97.1 FM)

STARTING LINEUPS:

Kansas City AVG
Dyson, CF .444
Blanco, G, LF .268
Aviles, M, 2B .309
Butler, 1B .320
Betemit, 3B .319
Ka'aihue, DH .201
Betancourt, Y, SS .260
Maier, RF .258
May, C .158
Totals .277

Detroit AVG
Jackson, A, CF .298
Rhymes, 2B .295
Damon, DH .267
Cabrera, M, 1B .326
Peralta, J, SS .250
Raburn, LF .270
Boesch, RF .265
Inge, 3B .251
Avila, C .228
Totals .269