Texas Vs. Detroit 6-7-11
The Detroit Tigers have been flexing their home run muscle this month and that's helped them close in on the AL Central lead.
The Tigers go for their fourth straight win and eighth in nine games Tuesday night when they continue a three-game road set with the Texas Rangers.
Detroit launched a season-high four homers - all in the first three innings off Colby Lewis - en route to a 13-7 win Monday. Brennan Boesch went deep twice among a career-high five hits, and Andy Dirks and Alex Avila also homered.
"You just keep grinding and you know that eventually balls are going to find seats and find holes," said Boesch, who's hit three of his seven homers in the last three games.
Detroit (32-27) leads the major leagues with 14 homers in June, and the Tigers' surge has moved them within 1 1/2 games of slumping Cleveland for the division lead.
Nelson Cruz homered twice and knocked in four for West-leading Texas (34-27), which had its five-game winning streak snapped. Cruz is batting .381 with six homers and 12 RBIs during a 10-game hitting streak.
Looking for another dominant outing on the road, Rick Porcello (5-3, 3.79 ERA) will take the mound for Detroit.
In wins at Minnesota and Pittsburgh last month, the right-hander allowed one run and four hits in 13 innings. He limited the Pirates to one hit in eight innings of a 2-0 win during his most recent road start May 22.
Porcello has been much better away from Detroit this year, going 3-1 with a 2.39 ERA in six games. In his second start at Rangers Ballpark, he will be looking for his first win in Arlington after being tagged for six runs and 10 hits in four innings of the Tigers' 8-4 loss on April 25, 2010.
Porcello is coming off a 4-2 win over Minnesota on Wednesday. He gave up two runs over 6 2-3 innings.
The Rangers have allowed 21 runs while losing three in a row to the Tigers in 2011, but Texas' Matt Harrison (5-4, 3.26) hasn't allowed a run in 14 1-3 innings over his last two games, and is in position to match his longest winning streak of the season.
The left-hander had been 0-4 with 7.03 ERA in five starts before facing Philadelphia on May 22. He responded by giving up five hits in 8 1-3 innings of the Rangers' 2-0 win. Six days later, he surrendered five hits over six innings before leaving with a blister on his right index finger in a 10-1 rout of Kansas City.
"Excellent again," catcher Mike Napoli told the Rangers' official website of Harrison's latest outing. "He was throwing strikes and getting people out. That's the name of the game for us, just throwing up zeroes and keeping us in games."
Harrison, who won his first three starts in 2011, was scratched from Thursday's matchup with the Indians due to the blister. He's 0-2 with an 8.10 ERA in three career starts versus the Tigers.
Detroit may want to keep Ryan Raburn in the starting lineup Tuesday. While riding a six-game hitting streak that's raised his average to .201, Raburn is 5 for 7 with two homers and five RBIs against Harrison.
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