Kansas City @ Detroit preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 17, 2016 ) Kansas City 2, Detroit 4

The defending champion Kansas City Royals aren’t likely to win a third straight American League pennant but have a chance to play spoiler down the stretch with 15 games left against the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers. The Royals will take their first crack at knocking the Tigers down in the race when they visit Detroit for the opener of a three-game series on Monday.

Kansas City began its spoiler role by taking back-to-back games from AL East-leading Toronto on Aug. 6 and 7, beginning a string of six wins in the last eight games. The Royals, who are coming off an 11-4 drubbing of the Minnesota Twins on Sunday, can impact the wild card races in both leagues with series at Boston and Miami before the end of the month. The Tigers pulled out of a five-game skid with back-to-back shutouts of the Texas Rangers on Saturday and Sunday and sit 1 1/2 games behind the Red Sox in the race for the second AL wild card. The Detroit staff allowed three runs or fewer in five of the last seven games but only managed two wins in that span as the offense averaged three runs.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, ESPN, FSN Kansas City, FSN Detroit

PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals RH Ian Kennedy (6-9, 3.91 ERA) vs. Tigers LH Daniel Norris (1-0, 4.00)

Kennedy is trying to snap an eight-start winless streak and has been much stronger of late. The USC product allowed a total of two runs in 19 1/3 innings over his last three starts and three earned runs or fewer in eight of 10 but has not gotten a lot of support from the offense. Kennedy allowed one run and four hits in 5 1/3 innings without factoring in the decision at Detroit on July 15 and lost to the Tigers on April 20 despite allowing only two runs in 6 1/3 frames.

Norris is making his second straight start and looking for his first win since rejoining the rotation last week. The 23-year-old scattered one run and seven hits across five-plus innings at Seattle on Tuesday but was held out of the decision in a game the Tigers went on to lose 6-5. Norris is seeing Kansas City for the first time this season and is trying to improve on his 1-0 record and 4.50 ERA at home.

WALK-OFFS

1. Tigers RF J.D. Martinez is 9-for-22 with a pair of home runs during a five-game hitting streak.

2. Kansas City RF Paulo Orlando is 8-for-14 in his last three games and recorded multiple hits in seven of the last 10 contests.

3. Detroit CF Cameron Maybin (thumb) has yet to swing a bat since going down on Aug. 4, but could take some swings on the homestand.

PREDICTION: Tigers 5, Royals 4