Minnesota Twins starter Scott Diamond will take the hill in Thursday's series finale against the Detroit Tigers.
Diamond, 7-3 with a 2.63 ERA, has won two straight starts and continues to be a rare bright spot in the Twins rotation. Among pitchers with at least seven starts, Diamond has by far the lowest ERA -- the next closest in Francisco Liriano at 5.40 -- and WHIP -- 1.21 compared to Carl Pavano's 1.40.
To put that ERA in context, Minnesota has had three starters this season, Liam Hendriks, Nick Blackburn and Jason Marquis, who have ERA's of over 7.00.
Diamond, who pitched 8.0 innings in each of his last two outings, has yet to face the Tigers this season. And while Detroit's offense has been quiet for much of the season, there are signs that the vaunted Miguel Cabrera/Prince Fielder combo is rounding into form. Cabrera hit two home runs in Wednesday's Detroit victory, and overall the team has scored at least five runs in eight of their last 10.
Rick Porcello, 6-5 with a 4.35 ERA, will start for Detroit. He has given up just three earned runs in his last three starts.
First pitching Thursday is set for 12:05 Central.
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