The Kansas City Royals (53-79, 62-70 RL, 67-64-1 O/U) battle the Detroit Tigers (50-81, 60-71 RL, 47-74-9 O/U) as the AL Central foes resume a three-game series on Saturday evening from Comerica Park. The Royals will have Jonathan Heasley on the mound. The Tigers will reply with Michael Pineda. The Royals lead the season series 6-4.
Jonathan Heasley will be on the hill in the series finale. Heasley wasn’t effective in his latest effort, conceding four runs (three earned) in four innings against the Padres, and was able to record the win to bring his record to 2-7. The veteran right-hander features a strong 3.00 ERA this month and has filed a 5.22 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP in 70.2 innings pitched on the season. He tossed 5.1 shutout innings in his only meeting against the Tigers.
The Royals conclude a six-game road trip in this one. They lost two of three in Chicago this week and have dipped 21 games below the .500 mark on the road. They are 4-6 in their last ten bouts overall.
Michael A. Taylor is swinging a hot bat, driving in a remarkable seven runs in his last four games. The 31-year- old center fielder is having a mediocre year, collecting 38 RBIs and a .700 OPS. Taylor is only 5 for 25 with two RBIs against the Tigers this season.
The Royals are scoring an average of 3.91 runs per game, ranking them 24th overall. The pitching staff has posted a 4.76 team ERA, placing them 27th in the big leagues.