MINNEAPOLIS – With one swing of the bat, Miguel Cabrera put himself in prime position to win the Triple Crown.
Cabrera will look to improve his already impressive standing on Sunday when the Detroit Tigers conclude their three-game series against the host Minnesota Twins. The slugger tied Texas' Josh Hamilton by belting his 43rd homer to propel Detroit to a 6-4 triumph on Saturday.
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The Tigers' fifth victory in six contests - coupled with Chicago's 10-4 loss - gave the Tigers a two-game lead in the American League Central. Minnesota, on the other hand, has dropped eight of its last 11 home games. Joe Mauer, who is also in pursuit of the batting title, went 0-for-3 with a pair of walks to drop his batting average to .320.
Pitching matchup: Tigers RH Anibal Sanchez (4-6, 3.95 ERA) vs. Twins RH Liam Hendriks (1-8, 6.09)
Sanchez was downright brilliant in his last outing, scattering three hits and striking out 10 in his fifth career shutout versus Kansas City on Tuesday. The 28-year-old Venezuelan struggled in his lone career outing against the Twins, getting touched for five runs on a season-high 12 hits in a 9-3 loss on Aug. 13.
After posting his first victory on Sept. 19, Hendriks returned to his losing ways five days later with a brutal outing against the New York Yankees. The Australian served up a career-high four homers and permitted six runs total in a 6-3 loss. Hendriks yielded four runs and as many walks in a no-decision against the Tigers on July 2.
Cabrera, who leads the AL with a .327 average and 136 RBIs, went 2-for-2 with three RBIs versus Hendriks.
Minnesota's Ryan Doumit is having quite the series, homering in both games and driving in eight. Doumit is riding a five-game hitting streak.
Prince Fielder extended his hitting streak to seven games with a solo homer on Saturday.