Detroit @ Kansas City preview
Kauffman Stadium
Last Meeting ( Jun 4, 2010 ) Detroit 3, Kansas City 7
A visit to Kansas City might be just the thing to snap Justin Verlander out of his recent doldrums.
Verlander looks to continue his mastery of a division rival as he leads the Detroit Tigers into action Saturday night against the Royals.
Kansas City won the series opener, 7-3, on Friday night behind three hits and three RBIs from light-hitting catcher Jason Kendall, and a solid pitching performance from journeyman left-hander Bruce Chen.
Verlander (5-4) has lost his last two starts, though neither defeat was entirely his fault - the Tigers scored just four runs combined in the two games. The 27-year-old had won four straight starts prior to that - and was nearly untouchable in the process, allowing just five runs and 15 hits over that span.
The odds of Verlander returning to form against the Royals are very good - at least where past history is concerned. The second overall pick in 2004 has dominated Kansas City in his career, going 9-2 with a 2.58 ERA in 15 career starts against the Royals. One of his three career shutouts has come against Kansas City.
A good performance from Verlander might still go for naught if the Tigers can't fare better at the plate than they did in Friday's opener. A night after trouncing the Cleveland Indians, 12-6, Detroit managed just eight hits against the Royals - with all of its runs coming on a Brennan Boesch three-run homer in the top of the sixth inning.
The Tigers will try to improve their fortunes against Luke Hochevar (5-3), who has shown more consistency of late. The top pick from the 2006 draft has gone at least seven innings in each of his past three starts, recording a 2-1 record over that span. He lost his previous outing, allowing five runs in seven innings of a 7-1 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
He has mediocre numbers in his career against Detroit, going 2-2 with a 5.23 ERA in six appearances. He did tame the Tigers earlier this season, tossing 7 2/3 scoreless innings but earning a no-decision in a 3-2 Kansas City victory on April 7.
Five days later, he allowed four runs in five innings as Kansas City doubled up Detroit, 10-5, to give Hochevar his first victory of the year.
Detroit opens the day 3 1/2 games behind the Minnesota Twins for top spot in the AL Central. If the Tigers want to make up ground, they'll have to improve on a 11-16 road record that includes losses in five of their last six games away from Comerica Park.