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(Sports Network) - The Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians start up a four- game series between American League Central rivals at Comerica Park tonight, although the stakes won't be nearly as high as many anticipated.

Cleveland captured the AL Central title with an impressive 96-win campaign last season and was expected to be one of the main contenders for the division crown this year. The Indians' chief competition was thought to be the Tigers, the 2006 AL pennant winners who made a number of high-profile moves during the offseason.

Both teams are instead looking up in the standings after disappointing starts to the season. Cleveland comes in with a 27-33 overall record and is 6 1/2 games behind first-place Chicago in the Central, while Detroit's 24-35 ledger is the third-worst mark in the American League.

The Tigers return home off a lengthy road trip in which the club won just three times in nine games and were swept by Oakland over the final three matchups of the trek. In Wednesday's finale, the Athletics scored six times in the bottom of the seventh inning to break open a close contest and wound up with a 10-2 victory.

Detroit's recent offensive woes continued on Wednesday, as the team mustered just four hits against Justin Duchscherer and three Oakland relievers. The Tigers batted a weak .206 during the road trip and scored five runs or less in five of the nine games, including a pair of shutouts.

Nate Robertson (3-6) took the loss in the finale after the Detroit starter allowed five runs and eight hits over 6 1/3 innings.

Cleveland invades the Motor City after splitting four matchups with the improving Texas Rangers in Arlington. The Indians missed out on a chance for a series win on Thursday, blowing an early four-run lead in a 9-4 setback to the Rangers.

David Dellucci finished 2-for-4 for the Tribe and capped a four-run first inning with a two-RBI double. However, Cleveland failed to score the rest of the way and received another shaky performance out of C.C. Sabathia to suffer its 14th loss in 19 games.

Sabathia (3-8) was touched for five runs (4 earned) on nine hits and walked three in his six-inning stint, which raised the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner's season earned run average to 4.80.

Like Sabathia, Detroit ace Justin Verlander has yet to live up to his usual standards this season. The 2007 All-Star has been showing signs of returning to form, however, and hopes to continue to make strides when he takes the mound in tonight's opener.

Verlander has posted a 2.77 ERA over his last four starts and has surrendered two runs or less in three of those outings. He was reached for four runs, though, and eight hits in seven innings during a 5-0 defeat at Seattle on Saturday.

The hard-throwing right-hander has been plagued by poor run support all year long. In Verlander's eight 2008 losses, the Tigers have scored two runs or less each time.

Verlander did struggle in a loss to the Indians on April 17, permitting five runs and issuing four walks in just five innings. The 25-year-old is just 3-6 with a 7.03 ERA in 10 lifetime starts against Cleveland.

Veteran Paul Byrd will toe the rubber tonight for the Indians and looks to put a string of poor showings on the road behind him.

The crafty right-hander was rocked for six runs and nine hits over 4 1/3 innings in his last start, a 6-1 defeat at Kansas City on Sunday. That dropped Byrd to 0-5 in six road appearances this season, and he has pitched to an ugly 7.71 ERA over that span.

Byrd will be facing a Detroit squad he has had great success against in recent years. The 36-year-old is 8-2 with a 3.55 ERA in 17 career games (16 starts) against the Tigers and 4-2 with a 2.88 ERA over eight overall starts at Comerica Park.

These teams split a two-game set at Cleveland's Progressive Field back in April. The Indians won 12 of 18 matchups with the Tigers en route to the 2007 AL Central title, including six of nine tilts in the Motor City.

Since 2005, Cleveland has compiled a 17-11 record at Comerica Park.