After an off day, Detroit begins a three-game series at Coamerica Park against the White Sox, a team the Tigers swept earlier this month. Matt Perisho will likely start for the Tigers. An injury to Brian Moehler has forced him into the starting rotation. Perisho had a difficult outing in his first start as a Tiger. He allowed five runs in 4 1/3 innings against the Twins and took the loss on April 10.

Detroit (4-7) lost two of three against the Indians, winning a 1-0 game Saturday in a pitching duel between Tigers' knuckleballer Steve Sparks and Cleveland veteran Chuck Finley. Both pitchers went the distance. Sparks allowed just four hits in picking up his second career shutout. He struck out five and walked two.

It was the Tigers first win at home and it ended a five-game losing streak.

WHO'S HOT: First baseman Tony Clark continues to swing a hot bat. He's hitting .417 (15-for-36) with one home run and nine RBI.

WHO'S NOT: Roger Cedeno (.200) and Juan Encarcion (.194) continue to struggle. The Tigers need both outfielders to start getting on base. Dean Palmer's just 3-for-21 (.143) in the six games he's been used as a DH. b>

Moehler's injury not good news

Go figure. Before the season was two weeks old, the Tigers had achieved their first three-game sweep over the White Sox since 1991 but were 0-3 against the usually tepid Twins.

So what is up with this team? "I'll defer to Sparky (Anderson) on this one," manager Phil Garner told the Detroit News. "Let's see how we're doing after 40 games."

At least Garner could take comfort that his club had the potential to make a sharp improvement after the Tigers' futile efforts to get out of the gate quickly a year ago. But then there was the downside.

Brian Moehler, who won 12 games to lead the staff last season, already is on the disabled list with tendinitis in his right shoulder. Moehler was undergoing tests to make sure nothing more serious is causing his injury. Ultra sound showed no serious problems, but an MRI was still to come.

Moehler worked eight solid innings on Thursday, but as Garner told the Ann Arbor News, "He pitched a beautiful game, but from the fifth inning on, it was really painful."

Moehler has never had arm trouble.

"I'm new to this," he said. "I don't know what this is all about. But maybe it's just a muscle."

Refusing to report the injury earlier might have aggravated the problem, though it's difficult to say for certain. The ailing shoulder caused Moehler discomfort in his last three outings, including his final two in spring training tuneups. However, he didn't tell either Garner or the Detroit trainers that anything hurt.

Even if he recovers quickly, Moehler cannot come off the DL until April 21. In the meantime, he might not be the only Tiger starter in trouble.

TAKING PRECAUTIONS: Tony Clark missed several weeks last year because of a bulging disc. So with his back starting to stiffen up over the weekend, Garner gave his first baseman the night off on Monday in Minnesota in an effort to head off more problems. Garner would prefer that Clark not play many games on the Metrodome's artificial turf.

WHY US?: The Tigers were searching for answers to their ineffectiveness against the Twins.

"They are real comfortable against us, but the worm will turn," Phil Garner told the Ann Arbor News. "They hit the ball good, but we'll figure them out."