Detroit @ Kansas City Preview
Kauffman Stadium
Last Meeting ( Sep 7, 2013 ) Detroit 3, Kansas City 4
One day after giving up the most runs they've allowed in over two years, the Kansas City Royals rebounded with a close victory to keep them in the thick of the American League playoff race. The Royals, who host the Detroit Tigers in the rubber match of their three-game set on Sunday, gave up 26 hits and were trounced 16-2 in Friday’s series opener. However, Kansas City responded with a 4-3 win on Saturday, getting a tiebreaking, two-run homer from Salvador Perez.
The Royals, who have won 10 of 14, climbed within 3 1/2 games of Tampa Bay for the second wild-card spot in the American League. The Tigers lead the AL Central by 5 1/2 games over Cleveland and eight over Kansas City but have been wildly inconsistent in September. Outside of Friday’s offensive explosion, Detroit - the second-highest scoring team in the majors - has been held to three runs or fewer in four of its other five contests this month.
TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, FSN (Detroit)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Tigers RH Doug Fister (12-7, 3.66 ERA) vs. Royals LH Bruce Chen (6-2, 2.81)
Fister rebounded from a poor start to close out August with seven dominant innings in Monday’s 3-0 victory at Boston. The former Seattle Mariner gave up only four hits in the triumph as he set a career high in wins and improved to 5-2 with a 2.91 ERA since the All-Star break. Fister is 1-1 with a 3.10 ERA in three turns versus the Royals this season, including a no-decision on Aug. 17, and 3-4 with a 4.71 ERA in 11 career appearances (10 starts) against Kansas City.
Since joining the rotation, Chen is 3-2 with a 2.81 ERA in 10 starts, although he was stuck with a no-decision after permitting two runs over six frames in Tuesday’s 4-3 victory over the Mariners. The native of Panama, who is winless in his last three home outings, has allowed two runs or fewer in eight of his turns since replacing Luis Mendoza. One of Chen’s two poor starts over that stretch came against Detroit, which tagged him for six runs over 5 1/3 innings in a loss on Aug. 18.
WALK-OFFS
1. Perez is hitting .347 with seven home runs and 20 RBIs in his last 21 games.
2. Detroit LF Nick Castellanos, the team’s top prospect, recorded his first major-league hit Saturday.
3. The Royals are 55-12 when scoring more than three runs and 27-22 in one-run games.
PREDICTION: Tigers 5, Royals 4