Written By: The Persian
The fading Detroit Tigers will hit the road and open a three-game set against the Kansas City Royals starting Monday night inside Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.
They toss out the first pitch at 7:40 pm. The Tigers will be on the outside looking in, while the Royals believe a late push could get them back to the postseason.
The Royals have surprised many baseball pundits this season. They did not have many expectations heading into the season, but they have relied on their veterans to pave the way. They have been able to score runs here and there, and Salvador Perez, the heart of their franchise, has enjoyed a throwback season.
The veteran catcher has shown he can still swing the bat and has some pop in it, smacking 27 home runs while driving in over 100 runs. He is also hitting .275 on the season. The Royals are just four games out of first place in the AL Central heading into Sunday's action. The Cleveland Guardians are the front-running team, and they will try to win some games and distance themselves from the Royals.
Kansas City will send out veteran hurler Seth Lugo, who has enjoyed an excellent rebound season. He has won a career-high 16 games and has an ERA of 2.94 while fanning 169 hitters in just under 200 innings.
The Royals believe they can score early runs and knockout Detroit's starting pitching early on.
The Tigers have not been able to string together a bunch of wins consistently, and when they have, it has come too late, including winning six out of eight as they head into this series. They will have to add another bat or so in the off-season and another front-line starter to their rotation.
They have a run differential of +35, which is not bad; they just have not gotten steady and solid pitching this season. Their team ERA is 3.64, and they have had some games where their starters have been roughed up early on.
The Tigers' offense is paced by left fielder Riley Greene, who has been their most consistent and productive player. He has scored 23 home runs, 69 runs batted in, and an average of .265 on the season. The Tigers' team batting average is just .234, which is middle of the pack in the majors.
Casey Mize will get the start and carries a mark of 2-6 on the mound. He has an ERA of just under five, so this could be a game in which the Royals put up some runs.
The Royals are 3-2 in their last five games and 4-1 in their last five games against the number too. They are also 40-34 in their road games against the spread. The totals have gone over in just two of their last five games. The totals have also gone over in 36 out of their last 75 games at home. The Tigers are 3-2 in their last five games and 3-2 in their last five games against the spread too. The Tigers are also 43-32 in their road games against the spread.
