Kansas City @ Detroit preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 29, 2011 ) Kansas City 9, Detroit 5

THE STORY: The Detroit Tigers may be on top of the American League Central. But the team at the bottom of the division can still put up a challenge if the Tigers’ starting pitching doesn’t show up. The Kansas City Royals knocked Max Scherzer around and finished with 18 hits to easily win the opener of a four-game series at Comerica Park on Monday. Detroit brought in Doug Fister at the trade deadline specifically to provide some stability behind the hit-or-miss Scherzer. Fister will get a chance to put the Tigers back in the win column when he takes the mound for the second game of the series Tuesday night.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FSKC (Kansas City), FSD (Detroit)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Tigers RH Doug Fister (6-13, 3.35 ERA) vs. Royals LH Jeff Francis (5-14, 4.82 ERA).

Fister has settled nicely into the third starter spot for Detroit, posting a 3-1 record with a 3.45 ERA since joining the team prior to the July 31 trade deadline. The righthander is coming off a win at Tampa Bay last Thursday in which he allowed five hits in seven scoreless frames. Fister has not had much success against Kansas City in the past, posting an 0-2 mark with a 5.21 ERA in three career starts.

Francis snapped a three-start losing streak at Toronto last Thursday when he yielded two runs in six innings to pick up the win. The veteran lefthander had allowed at least four earned runs in his previous four turns. Francis pitched well against the Tigers on July 10, surrendering two runs and four hits in six innings, but got no support in a loss. He is 0-2 with a 4.05 ERA in three career starts against Detroit.

ABOUT THE TIGERS (73-61): Detroit could be excused for overlooking the lowly Royals with upcoming series against the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians. A successful run over the next 10 days could put the American League Central away and let the Tigers line things up for the playoffs in September. As it stands, Detroit leads the White Sox by five games and sits 5 ½ ahead of the Indians. Scherzer is capable of dominating any team when he is on but is also capable of some terrible outings. Monday will go decidedly in the second column, as the righthander was lit up for seven runs on 10 hits – three homers – in three-plus innings. Miguel Cabrera continued his hot streak in the loss, going 3-for-4 with an RBI. The All-Star slugger has hit in all four games since returning from the paternity list, going 9-for-15.

ABOUT THE ROYALS (56-79): Kansas City has won back-to-back games for the first time since Aug. 3-4. Rookie catcher Salvador Perez, the most recent of a host of rookies to make his way into the lineup for the Royals this season, hit his first major league home on Monday during his first three-hit game. Fellow rookie Johnny Giavotella added two hits and three RBIs and Alex Gordon went 4-for-4. Though it has not shown up in the win column, 2011 will go down as a successful season for Kansas City if players like Perez, Giavotella, Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas continue to improve as they make it to the end of their first years.

FINAL PITCH: The Tigers announced that top prospect Jacob Turner will be recalled on Thursday to make his second career major league start. The 20-year-old made his debut on July 30 against the Los Angeles Angels, allowing two runs on three hits in 5 1/3 innings while absorbing the loss. Turner is being brought up to give ace Justin Verlander an extra day of rest.