After losing the first meeting of their three-game set with their division rivals, the Detroit Tigers (70-46), on Tuesday, the Kansas City Royals (60-56) immediately returned the favor with a dominant 12-1 win in yesterday’s Game 2. Now with the series all tied at one game apiece, an intriguing rubber match between these two clubs awaits us later tonight at Kauffman Stadium. Who will emerge victorious this time around?
Read on below for a comprehensive preview of this American League Central showdown, and for more baseball action, you can check out our breakdown of the Giants and Rockies game. Enjoy.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Detroit Tigers vs. Kansas City Royals Preview
Where: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MI
When: Thursday, September 3, 8:10 PM ET
Line: Detroit Tigers (+180) vs. Kansas City Royals (-210); total: 8.0 —View all MLB Lines
Betting on the Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers’ chances of earning their fifth consecutive postseason appearance are looking pretty bleak right now. They’ve lost eight of their last 10, putting them 8.5 games short of the second wild card spot in the American League and dead last in their division. Fortunately for the Tigers, there are still enough games left for them to ignite a late push and make things interesting. A win tonight over the third-best team in the league, Kansas City Royals, could prove to be the trigger to an improbable run.
[sc:MLB240banner ]That’s going to be easier said than done, though, with Matt Boyd (1-5, 7.12 ERA) taking the mound for the Tigers. The 24-year-old rookie lefty had a forgettable month of August, where he went 1-3 with a depressing 5.40 ERA through five games (six starts). Detroit went 2-4 during that stretch. Boyd will definitely be aiming to kick off his September with a bang. Against the Royals, he owns a .320 opponents’ batting average, and is 1-1 with a quality ERA of 2.92 across two career starts.
Moving on to offense, expect Miguel Cabrera to carry most of the load in providing Boyd with some runs support. Cabrera, who is the best hitter (.359) in the majors right now, holds a solid triple-slash line of .341/.447/.575 on the road this year and is batting .309 with 22 homers and 93 RBIs in his career versus the Royals.
Detroit is 2-6 overall with Boyd starting.
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Betting on the Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals seem to be in postseason form already. They’ve won seven of their last eight games, while holding a comfortable 10-game advantage over the Blue Jays for the No. 1 spot in the American League. The Royals will look to continue imposing their dominance when they send Edinson Volquez (12-7, 3.27 ERA) on the mound for their series finale with their division rivals, Detroit Tigers.
Volquez seeks revenge tonight against the Tigers, who handed him his seventh loss of the year just three weeks ago. In that game, the 32-year-old veteran was roughed up for six runs on eight hits over seven innings for the eventual 7-4 loss. But the odds are going to be in his favor this time around, especially since he’ll have the crowd on his side this time around. Across 13 starts at Kauffman Stadium, Volquez is 7-3 with a 2.94 ERA, while holding off his foes to a batting average of .226.
Volquez can’t handle everything alone, though. He’ll need some timely contributions at the plate from his teammates. That said, all eyes are going to be on the pair of Eric Hosmer (.309) and Lorenzo Cain (.313) to spark up the Royals’ offense.
Hosmer is 5-for-16 in his last four games and has been superb at home, batting .313 with 9 home runs and 42 RBIs to his name this season. Cain, on the other hand, is in the midst of a 10-game hitting streak, hitting 15-for-39 (.385) during that stretch. But Cain is only 1-for-6 lifetime in his matchup opposite the Tigers’ starter, Matt Boyd.
Kansas City is 7-3 in its previous 10 with Volquez starting.
Writer’s Prediction:
The Royals (-210) win, 8-5.
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