Detroit @ Kansas City preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 10, 2014 ) Detroit 16, Kansas City 4

Torii Hunter continues to swing a hot bat for the Detroit Tigers, who look to extend their lead in the American League Central to 6 1/2 games over the host Kansas City Royals when the teams resume a four-game series Friday. Hunter is 16-for-33 with three home runs and 13 RBIs over his last eight games, including a homer and three RBIs in Thursday’s 16-4 rout. Detroit’s Victor Martinez missed his fifth straight game with a sore back and is not expected to play during the series.

Kansas City has its own injury woes with left fielder Alex Gordon (sprained left wrist) ruled out of the All-Star Game and pitcher Jason Vargas on the disabled list with appendicitis. The injuries come at a bad time for the Royals, but manager Ned Yost is hoping reserves such as Christian Colon and Raul Ibanez can capitalize on the extra playing time. “Everyone deals with injuries,” Yost told reporters. “You’ve just got to get through it. It’s something you deal with every year.”

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, FSN Detroit, FSN Kansas City

PITCHING MATCHUP: Tigers RH Anibal Sanchez (5-3, 3.18 ERA) vs. Royals LH Danny Duffy (5-8, 2.86)

Sanchez is looking to bounce back from a rough outing against Tampa Bay on Saturday when he yielded seven runs and four walks over 5 2/3 innings. The 30-year-old was denied an All-Star berth despite going 3-0 with a 2.79 ERA in six starts last month. Billy Butler is 6-for-18 against Sanchez, who is 4-2 with a 1.04 ERA in six career starts against Kansas City, including seven innings of one-run ball June 19.

Duffy had a 1.69 ERA in six June starts, but was not quite as sharp against Cleveland on Sunday, when he allowed four runs on 10 hits over six frames. The 25-year-old was outdueled by Sanchez in Detroit on June 19, when he yielded two runs over seven frames in a 2-1 loss. Miguel Cabrera is 5-for-16 with six walks against Duffy, who is 1-5 with a 3.68 ERA in eight career starts against Detroit.

WALK-OFFS

1. Royals 1B Eric Hosmer is 16-for-39 with two homers and six RBIs during his 10-game hitting streak.

2. Detroit has won four straight in Kansas City while outscoring the Royals 42-12 during that stretch.

3. Kansas City LHP Bruce Chen will start Sunday in place of Vargas, who is expected to miss 3-to-4 weeks.

PREDICTION: Tigers 7, Royals 4