The Tigers (75-74) are fresh off an inspiring 3-game sweep in Chicago and will be rewarded with a trip home to face the last place Royals (61-87). KC is 27-47 on the road while Detroit is 47-28 at home. Detroit holds just a 1-game advantage, 8-7, in the head-to-head meetings between the teams this year.
The Tigers continue to be powered by their young crew of impressive hitters. Most recently joining the fray is the somewhat forgotten Scott Sizemore. He had 2 homers in the series in Chicago including a go-ahead monster shot 3-run bomb on Saturday afternoon. With Sizemore, Austin Jackson, Will Rhymes, Casper Wells, Brennan Boesch, and Alex Avila doing damage on a regular basis, the Tigers feature one of the youngest and most promising lineups in all of baseball. All 6 of these guys are rookies. Amazing.
Only 13 games remain for the Tigers in 2010 with 3 against KC, Minnesota, and Cleveland and a final 4-game series against the Orioles. With this schedule, the Tigers have a chance to finish the season on a very nice note. A plus .500 record is a realistic possibility and considering all that went array this year to be able to keep their heads above water would be quite the accomplishment.
Pitching Matchups:
Game 1: Monday, 7:05 eastern – Rick Porcello (9-11) v. Zack Greinke (9-12) – Porcello (5.10 ERA, 73 K’s) was held out of action against the White Sox due to a strained finger. He will put his 4-game consecutive starts winning streak on the line against Greinke. Porcello has a chance to get to the .500 mark by season’s end as he has already salvaged what was turning into a very ugly season. Rick is 2-0 with a 3.15 ERA in 3 starts against the Royals in 2010. Greinke (3.90 ERA, 164 K’s) has not had the type of year people expected after winning the Cy Young last year. He has given up at least 3 runs in each of his last 4 starts. He is 0-0 with a 3.65 ERA in 2 starts v. Detroit this year.
Game 2: Tuesday, 7:05 eastern – Armando Galarraga (4-6) v. Bruce Chen (10-7) – Armando (4.27 ERA, 63 K’s) has only managed 10 decisions in 21 starts this year. To that note, he is 0-0 with a 1.59 ERA in 2 starts this year v. KC. Armando looks to stake his claim to the 5th spot in the rotation heading into 2011 with a strong finish. Chen (4.70 ERA, 87 K’s) has had a nice year for KC. Detroit has handled him well however as he is 1-1 with a 7.07 ERA in 3 starts this year. The Tigers will load up their righty lineup against Chen and look to put up runs in bunches.
Game 3: Wednesday, 7:05 eastern – Max Scherzer (11-10) v. Kyle Davies (8-10) – Scherzer (3.54 ERA, 173 K’s) has been brilliant this year for Detroit. He is fresh off an 11-K, 8-inning win against the White Sox in which he allowed just 2 hits. Max will look to keep it rolling against KC. He is 0-2 with a 3.94 ERA in 3 starts this year against the boys in Royal blue. Davies (5.08 ERA, 115 K’s) has had a typical Kyle Davies year; substandard. He is 2-1 with a 5.71 ERA in 3 starts v. Detroit this year but historically Detroit pounds Davies. Look for a Tigers win in the series finale.
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