Tigers Head West
Veteran Kenny Rogers looks to continue his astounding success at McAfee Coliseum when the Detroit Tigers open a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics on Monday night.
Rogers (4-4, 5.88 ERA) is 23-1 with a 3.16 ERA in his last 41 starts at Oakland, which includes a 15-0 mark with a 2.81 ERA in 26 home starts with the Athletics from 1998-99 – his only two seasons with the club.
Oddsmakers from Sportsbook.com have made Oakland -160 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for tonight’s game, the over/under has been set at 8 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 55% of bets for this game have been placed on Oakland -160 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
The 43-year-old left-hander is also 5-0 with a 2.62 ERA in his last five starts at the Coliseum since a 5-4 loss with Texas on Sept. 16, 2004 – his lone defeat there in the last 13 years.
Rogers did not start in Oakland last season for the first time since 1997.
Rogers leads all active pitchers with 21 wins against the A’s (30-27), and he’s also 7-0 with a 3.51 ERA in his last eight starts overall against them.
He enters off his best outing of the season, in Detroit’s 1-0, 12-inning loss last Monday to the Los Angeles Angels. Rogers gave up five hits in a season-high seven innings after yielding four or more runs in six of his previous eight starts.
"You can’t pitch any better than he pitched. He was much more aggressive. I thought he had good location, his ball sunk good and he kept the ball on the ground," manager Jim Leyland said.
Detroit (24-32) improved to 3-3 on its nine-game road trip with a 7-5 win at Seattle on Sunday. Placido Polanco hit a tiebreaking single to trigger a four-run rally in the ninth inning.
"We’re going to hit a hot streak," Detroit center fielder Curtis Granderson insisted.
Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez, though, went 0-for-3 to continue his dreadful trip. He’s 1-for-18 in his last five starts behind the plate, and is hitting .226 on the road this season.
Oakland ended a four-game losing streak with a 13-8 win at Texas on Sunday. The A’s sent 12 men to the plate in the seventh inning, scoring nine times.
"We were having good at-bats," said outfielder Jack Cust, who homered in the seventh. "We got a couple of walks and some big hits. It was nice to come back and respond after they took the lead."
The A’s had managed a total of only nine runs in their previous five games prior to Sunday.
Oakland’s Rich Harden (3-0, 2.60) will make his fifth start since being activated off the disabled list May 11. Harden, who missed a month with a strained right shoulder, is 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA over his last three outings.
He allowed one run and five hits over seven innings and did not issue a walk Wednesday, but did not receive a decision in a 2-1 loss to Toronto and Roy Halladay.
"It was one of his best games," manager Bob Geren told the A’s official Web site. "He felt strong after, and that’s a real good sign."
The right-hander, who has made just 19 starts over the last three seasons due to injuries, is 3-1 with a 3.70 ERA in four career outings against the Tigers.
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