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(Sports Network) - Kenny Rogers takes another crack at recording his first victory of 2008 when the struggling pitcher toes the rubber tonight for the Detroit Tigers in the opener of a four-series with the Toronto Blue Jays from the Rogers Centre.

Rogers has been saddled with losses in each of his first three starts and struggled mightily on the mound in an 11-0 setback at Chicago's U.S. Cellular Field on Sunday. The veteran left-hander was tagged for seven runs over just four innings and allowed seven hits and four walks before being lifted.

The 43-year-old also hasn't received much help from his offense, since the Tigers have been shut out in all three of Rogers' outings.

Rogers, who hadn't begun a season 0-3 since 1991 before this year, is a solid 14-9 with a 3.72 earned run average over 55 lifetime appearances (28 starts) against Toronto and has good career numbers at the Rogers Centre as well. In 23 previous games at the facility, 11 of which have been starts, the four-time All-Star owns a 6-4 record and a 3.32 ERA along with three complete games.

The Blue Jays were originally slated to throw A.J. Burnett in tonight's tilt, but the team was forced to use the oft-injured righty in relief during Wednesday's 14-inning loss to Texas and has pushed him back to Sunday.

In Burnett's place will be David Purcey, who makes his major league debut this evening.

Purcey, who will turn 26 on Tuesday, was Toronto's first-round selection in the 2004 draft after a standout collegiate career at Oklahoma. The left-hander was enjoying a strong season start at Triple-A Syracuse, where Purcey compiled a 2-0 record and a 1.89 ERA in three trips to the post.

The Tigers seem to be coming out of their early-season funk, as the club ripped off three straight victories before being routed by division-rival Cleveland on Thursday. Fausto Carmona tossed 6 2/3 strong innings and Jason Michaels drove in three runs as the Indians earned a split of a two-game series with an 11-1 win at Progressive Field.

Carmona (2-1) gave up one run on seven hits before turning the game over to the Cleveland bullpen. Jensen Lewis, Masahide Kobayashi and Rafael Betancourt then combined to hold the Tigers scoreless over the final 2 1/3 frames.

Justin Verlander (0-3) went just five innings for Detroit and allowed five runs and seven hits while walking four batters in another rough start. Zach Miner was roughed up for five runs on five hits in his lone inning of relief.

The Blue Jays were also shut down by an enemy pitcher on Thursday, as Texas' Vicente Padilla held Toronto to one run in seven innings of work to lead the Rangers to a 4-1 decision at the Rogers Centre and a sweep of a two-game series between the teams.

Roy Halladay (2-2) took the loss despite firing a complete game for Toronto. The ace pitcher surrendered all four Texas runs on 11 hits, while striking out six and walking just one.

David Eckstein went 2-for-5 for the Blue Jays and knocked in the team's lone run with an RBI single in the seventh.

These clubs split a four-game set in Toronto last April, with the Tigers winning four of their seven overall encounters with the Blue Jays in 2007.