Game 58 Preview: Tigers open up 7-game road trip against Royals on Friday

Detroit hits the road starting with a three-game series in Kansas City against its ALC rival.

The Detroit Tigers hit the road following their recent seven-game home stand, splitting the two series by losing three of four to the Cleveland Guardians before sweeping the San Francisco Giants .

Now, the Motor City Kitties head out west to face another American League Central foe that lags seven games behind them — the Kansas City Royals — in the BBQ capital. K.C. has lost four of its last six, dropping two of three to both the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis and the Cincinnati Reds at home, respectively.

Overall, AJ Hinch and Co. come into the series with a half-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies for the best record in baseball and hold a six-game lead over both the Twins and Guardians. The New York Yankees are the next-best team in the A.L., shadowing the Tigers just a game back.

After both teams enjoyed a day off on Thursday, they return to the field on Friday with Casey Mize starting for the visitors while Seth Lugo gets the call for the home team.

The Royals rotation has been banged up over the past two weeks, and Lugo was part of it. He missed his last few starts while on the injured list for right middle finger inflammation, so we’ll see if he’d capable of giving the Tigers the bird today or not. Meanwhile the Royals’ ace, left-hander Cole Ragans, is on the injured list with a left groin strain. That’s a break for the Tigers, though with Reese Olson battling his own finger inflammation issue they’re short-handed as well.

Despite the Royals record, they remain one of the worst offenses in the league. Neutralize Bobby Witt Jr. and they’re rarely going to do a lot of damage. Of course, like the Guardians, they always seem to pitch and defend great when playing the Tigers.

Here is a look at how they match up.

Detroit Tigers (37-20) at Kansas City Royals (30-27)

Time (ET): 8:10 p.m.
Place: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
SB Nation Site: Royals Review
Media: FanDuel Sports Detroit , MLB.TV , Tigers Radio Network

Game 58: RHP Casey Mize (6-1, 2.45 ERA) vs. RHP Seth Lugo (3-4, 3.02 ERA)

MIZE

Baseball Savant

LUGO

Baseball Savant