Swarzak takes another crack at win No. 1 against Tigers
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Third-year righty Anthony Swarzak gets another crack at a first victory of 2012 tonight when the Minnesota Twins host the Detroit Tigers in the first of three games at Target Field.
Swarzak, who started 23 times while going 7-14 in 39 appearances in 2010-11, opened this year with losses in three straight starts while allowing 21 hits and 11 runs across 14 2/3 innings against Baltimore, Texas and New York.
He's since made nine consecutive appearances out of the bullpen and has been generally effective - giving up zero runs six times and one run once - while paring his earned run average from 6.75 to 4.73.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Swarzak gave up two runs on two hits in 2 1/3 innings in his most recent outing, which consisted of mop-up duty in the Twins' 16-4 interleague loss at Milwaukee on May 20. Two days earlier, he retired five straight batters to record a hold in Minnesota's 11-3 defeat of the Brewers.
The Tigers go with 22-year-old rookie Drew Smyly, who makes his ninth career start and first against the Twins.
A second-round pick by Detroit in 2010, the Arkansas native made 22 combined starts at Single-A and Double-A last season before pitching one at Triple-A Toledo to begin this season.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He made his major-league debut with four innings of one-run ball in Detroit's 7-2 defeat of Tampa Bay on April 12 and recorded his initial win 16 days later at Yankee Stadium after holding New York to a run on two hits in six innings.
Four subsequent starts have yielded three no-decisions and a loss, in which Smyly has allowed 21 hits and 11 runs across 21 2/3 innings.
Detroit is 4-4 in games he's pitched.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}On Thursday in Chicago, Alejandro De Aza hit his first grand slam as part of a three-homer sixth inning and the White Sox beat Minnesota, 11-8, in the finale of a three-game set.
Justin Morneau hit a two-run and solo home run while Joe Mauer added a solo homer for the Twins, who have lost three of four.
Cole De Vries (0-1) lost his MLB debut after giving up six runs - three earned - on six hits with a walk and four strikeouts over five-plus innings.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I was happy that I went out there and competed pretty well. Obviously I made some mistakes and those are the ones they capitalized on," he said.
In Cleveland, Justin Masterson outdueled Justin Verlander and the Indians defeated the Tigers, 2-1, to complete a three-game sweep.
Verlander (5-2), who took a no-hitter in to the ninth inning in his last outing, allowed Shin-Soo Choo to lead off the series finale with a home run. In all, he went eight innings, struck out seven and walked just one batter, but also surrendered Jose Lopez's RBI single in the fourth.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I felt like maybe if I was able to go out there and just dominate an inning and get our guys back out there quick maybe something would happen," Verlander said.
Minnesota swept a two-game set from the Tigers earlier in the year after Detroit went 14-4 a season ago against the Twins.