Baltimore Vs. Detroit 8-12-11
The Detroit Tigers remain atop the AL Central despite Brad Penny's recent lackluster performances.
He'll have a chance to get back on track against the struggling Baltimore Orioles when the teams open a three-game set Friday night at Camden Yards.
Penny (7-9, 4.92 ERA) is 0-3 with a 7.94 ERA in his last three starts, striking out none while yielding 20 hits in the last two. He allowed five runs and a season-high 11 hits in 6 2-3 innings of a 5-2 loss to Texas on Aug. 4, though he was pleased with his performance.
"I felt great out there - that's as strong as I've felt since (a back injury) last year," he said. "Every ball they hit found a hole."
The right-hander had a rough outing April 7 against Baltimore, giving up four runs in 5 1-3 innings, including the first of Adam Jones' 21 homers. Penny has a 7.36 ERA in three career starts versus the Orioles, though he's 1-0.
He hopes to improve on those numbers while helping Detroit (62-55) bolster its three-game lead on second-place Cleveland. The Tigers had lost three straight prior to beating the Indians 4-3 on Thursday.
The health of Victor Martinez is still a concern after he aggravated his sprained left knee on Tuesday, limiting his catching duties behind All-Star Alex Avila and relegating him to designated hitter on a day-to-day basis.
Baltimore (45-70) has much bigger problems, though it has won seven of the last 10 meetings with Detroit.
Already possessing the worst record in the AL, the Orioles have lost 10 of their last 13 after falling 6-3 to the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. They're 2-5 heading into the final three games of their 10-game homestand.
Baltimore's No. 1 and No. 2 hitters, J.J. Hardy and Nick Markakis, continue to produce despite the losses. Hardy drove in a run for the seventh straight game Thursday, while Markakis added his 100th career homer with a two-run shot.
Hardy is hitting .379 with three homers during his RBI streak.
"Not really anything surprises me with J.J. anymore," manager Buck Showalter told the team's official website. "He's made me a believer."
Markakis' milestone homer helped trim a 6-0 deficit, though it wasn't enough to kickstart the sputtering Orioles. Markakis has hit safely in seven of his last eight games with seven RBIs, a stretch Showalter said has been sparked by his right fielder tinkering with his swing.
"He's made another little adjustment, one that the ball's really coming off his bat pretty solid," Showalter said.
Markakis is hitting .362 with three homers in his last 12 games against the Tigers, and he'll look to provide some offense for scheduled starter Alfredo Simon (3-5, 4.08).
Simon is coming off his roughest outing since joining the starting rotation July 9, giving up six runs and 10 hits in 5 2-3 innings of a 7-2 loss to Toronto on Sunday. He had not allowed more than three runs in any of his previous five starts and dropped to 2-4 with a 3.75 ERA as a starter.
The right-hander has never started against Detroit, although he allowed a game-tying home run to Miguel Cabrera in relief last year.
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