Royals at Tigers
The Kansas City Royals will try for their sixth straight series win when they cap a three-game set at the Detroit Tigers on Thursday afternoon. After dropping the opener of the series, the Royals utilized homers by Mike Moustakas and Salvador Perez to back a solid start by Ian Kennedy in Wednesday's 8-2 triumph.
Kansas City has won 12 of its last 16 overall and returned to .500 with the victory, giving the club a chance to match its high-water mark with a win in the series finale. Perez added an RBI double to his two-run blast and boasts 13 RBIs over a nine-game stretch, but he is just 1-for-10 with three strikeouts in his career against Michael Fulmer, who gets the nod in Thursday's matinee for the Tigers. Detroit has lost nine of 11 overall and seven of its last 11 at home, scoring a total of 10 runs over the past four contests at Comerica Park. Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera has homered in consecutive games and is tied with Hall of Famer Andre Dawson for 39th on the all-time RBI list with 1,591.
TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, FSN Kansas City, FSN Detroit
PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals RH Jakob Junis (2-1, 4.97 ERA) vs. Tigers RH Michael Fulmer (6-6, 3.29)
Junis has two quality starts in his last three turns after allowing two runs over 6 1/3 innings in a no-decision against Toronto on Friday. He kept the ball in the park in that outing after giving up six home runs over his previous three starts. The 24-year-old is 2-1 with a 5.00 ERA in four road appearances (three starts).
Fulmer has recorded a quality start 12 times in 14 outings in 2017 but he was tagged with the loss despite letting up a run and two hits in seven innings at San Diego his last time out. The Oklahoma native, who walked a season-high four batters in each of his last two starts, has dropped five of six decisions since the middle of May. Fulmer owns a 2.36 ERA in four career starts versus Kansas City.
WALK-OFFS
1. Detroit activated DH Victor Martinez from the 10-day disabled list after he dealt with a cardiac issue, and optioned C/1B John Hicks to Triple-A Toledo.
2. Royals IF Cheslor Cuthbert (wrist) was placed on the DL and OF Jorge Soler was recalled from Triple-A Omaha.
3. Kansas City SS Alcides Escobar had three hits Wednesday and is batting .424 during his nine-game hitting streak.