Danny Duffy (11-2, 3.01 ERA) and Anibal Sanchez (7-13, 5.92 ERA) start in the first of a three-game series between the Kansas City Royals (69-64) and the Detroit Tigers (72-61) at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. Action begins at 8:15 p.m. ET on Friday, Sep. 2 and can be seen on FSKC and FSDT.
Duffy pitched 5.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering seven runs, striking out two and walking two in an 8-3 defeat to the Red Sox. Kendrys Morales (.249, 49 Rs, 22 HRs, 63 RBIs) went 1 for 6 Wednesday with one run, one home run, and two RBIs. Sanchez went 5.2 innings, surrendering five runs and striking out two in a 5-0 defeat to the Angels in his most recent start. J.D. Martinez (.321, 57 Rs, 19 HRs, 54 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 4 Wednesday with one RBI.
Notes
The Tigers won their last game by a one-run margin. In games decided by one run, the Royals are 20-17. The Tigers are 22-15 in close games this season.
Kansas City has won 46% (26-30) of its games when leading after seven innings. However, Detroit has won 58% (37-27) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Tigers are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Royals have a 22-23 record when opponents give up one walk or less.
When they are outhit, the Royals are 9-44. The Tigers have an 11-44 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 27th in home runs, Kansas City has hit 119 this season. Detroit ranks ninth with 174 home runs.
Ranking 30th, Kansas City is at the bottom of the league in walks, notching 315 this season. Detroit ranks in the bottom half at 17th with 396.
The Royals are 47-36 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Tigers are 58-36 when they hit at least one homer.
