Road-weary Braves hope to avoid the brooms in Detroit

The road seems to be wearing on the Atlanta Braves.

Mike Minor heads to the hill for the Braves on Sunday when they cap their 10- game road trip and try to avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.

Atlanta had its 10-game winning streak stopped in its final game before hitting the road and the loss has seemed to linger, as the team has struggled mightily, losing six of the first nine games on the trip.

In fact, the Braves have managed just 12 runs in the six losses and four of them came Saturday in the Tigers' 7-4 triumph.

Omar Infante finished with three hits, including a two-run homer, and drove in three runs in that one, while Jhonny Peralta added a two-run blast and Miguel Cabrera posted two hits and two RBI for the Tigers, who have won three of four overall.

Rick Porcello (1-2) gave up three runs on five hits with five strikeouts and two walks in 6 1/3 innings. Jose Valverde tossed a perfect ninth for his second save.

"If we can keep them in the ballpark, then we've got a shot to win," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "They live and die with that home run ball quite a bit. "Ricky was a pretty good matchup, because he can keep the ball on the ground, and he did that for the most part."

Justin Upton homered and knocked in two runs for the Braves, who received two hits and an RBI from Freddie Freeman in their third straight defeat.

With 12 home runs, Upton is two shy of tying the all-time record for most home runs in April, held by Albert Pujols (2006) and Alex Rodriguez ('07).

Kris Medlen (1-3) was torched for 10 hits and five runs over 5 1/3 frames.

Minor takes the ball on Sunday following a win over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday. The lefty bounced back from his lone loss to hold the Rockies to three runs and five hits in six innings, as he improved to 3-1 to go along with a 1.80 ERA.

"I just pretty much battled through it," Minor said of his start. "A lot of changeups, curveballs. Whatever I could do to get some outs."

Detroit, meanwhile, will counter with righty Doug Fister, who is 3-0 with a 2.00 ERA. Fister did not get a decision last Sunday versus the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, but allowed three unearned runs in seven innings of 4-3 loss.

This is the Braves' first trip to Detroit since 2004, when they lost two of three. The Tigers swept a three-game series in Atlanta during the 2007 campaign and the Braves took two of three at home in 2010.