Seeking Rebound After 4-Game Sweep, Tigers Welcome Rangers

(Sports Network) - The Detroit Tigers are certainly happy to be heading home. They may be even happier to see the Texas Rangers as they kick off a three- game series with the American League West leaders this evening at Comerica Park.

Detroit, though, was swept in a four-game set by the woeful Cleveland Indians over the weekend, falling 7-2 in Sunday's finale at Progressive Field. Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera each drove in a run for the Tigers, who have lost five straight following a five-game win streak.

Detroit starter Andrew Oliver (0-4) couldn't match fellow rookie Jeanmar Gomez, giving up five runs on four hits and five walks in 3 2/3 innings.

The road continues to be a problem for the Tigers, who sit 1 1/2 games back of the Chicago White Sox for the top spot in the AL Central, as they have now dropped 10 of their last 13 away from home. Conversely, Detroit has won five of its last six at Comerica, where it has won seven straight series and is 32-13 on the year.

The Tigers turn tonight to righty Jeremy Bonderman, who is 5-6 with a 4.79 earned run average. Bonderman picked up the win in his last start on July 10 against Minnesota, which managed three runs and four hits in six innings.

Bonderman is 2-1 with a 4.93 ERA in seven starts against the Rangers.

Texas, meanwhile, headed into the All-Star break with four straight home losses to the Baltimore Orioles. However, the rest seemed to have done the Rangers some good, as they took three of four from the Boston Red Sox over the weekend to win their first four-game series at Fenway Park in 15 years.

The Rangers sealed the series win on Sunday, as C.J. Wilson struck out a career-high 10 in 6 2/3 effective innings to help Texas to a 4-2 victory. Wilson (8-5) allowed just one run on three hits and five walks to earn only his second road win of the season, although both have come in Boston.

Elvis Andrus had three hits and scored a run while Nelson Cruz went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI for the Rangers, who last won a four-game series at Fenway from July 13-16, 1995. Texas has now won 14 of its past 19 away from home.

"We're trying to win series," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "It's hard to come up here and do what we did this weekend. I don't care how many guys [the Red Sox] are missing, those guys know how to play baseball and still have some guys in the lineup that can do some damage. But we never backed down. We still played our game."

Tonight Scott Feldman heads to the hill as the Texas right-hander tries to win for the first time in five starts. Feldman, who is 5-8 with a 5.32 ERA on the season, did not get a decision the last time he toed the rubber back on July 9, as he allowed two runs and eight hits in seven innings of his team's 7-6 loss to Baltimore.