Tigers at Royals
The Detroit Tigers showed plenty of fight in their first contest after the All-Star break but were unable to keep their losing streak from reaching four games. Detroit looks to halt the slide when it visits the Kansas City Royals on Saturday for the middle contest of their three-game series.
The Tigers, who have lost 19 of their last 22, overcame a pair of deficits in Friday's series opener but ultimately dropped an 8-5 decision. Victor Reyes recorded three of the team's nine hits and drove in a run for Detroit, which fell to 1-3 against Kansas City on the road this year. The Royals lost nine of 11 contests before Martin Maldonado snapped a 5-5 tie in the seventh inning with his sixth homer of the season. Bubba Starling, who was the fifth overall pick in the 2011 draft, made his major-league debut on Friday and went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored after hitting .310 in 72 games with Triple-A Omaha.
TV: 7:15 p.m. ET, FS Detroit, FS Kansas City
PITCHING MATCHUP: Tigers LH Matthew Boyd (6-6, 3.87 ERA) vs. Royals RH Brad Keller (4-9, 4.47)
Boyd ended his five-start winless streak in his final turn before the break, defeating the White Sox in Chicago on Thursday despite yielding four runs and nine hits over 5 1/3 innings. The 28-year-old Washingtonian, who hadn't won since May 28 at Baltimore, registered a career high-tying 13 strikeouts and did not issue a walk for the fifth time this year. Boyd is 4-8 with a 6.39 ERA in 16 career starts against Kansas City after splitting two meetings earlier this campaign.
Keller has gone 1-0 over his last three outings, allowing a total of one run over 8 2/3 innings in the two no-decisions and six runs over five frames in the victory. The 23-year-old native of Georgia has made five consecutive starts on the road since giving up two runs and five hits over eight innings in a hard-luck home loss to the White Sox on June 8. Keller is 1-2 with a 2.95 ERA in seven career games (three starts) against Detroit, including an 0-1 record and 3.97 mark in two turns this year.
WALK-OFFS
1. Royals OF Terrance Gore, who went 14-for-51 with one RBI in 37 games this season, was designated for assignment.
2. Detroit RHP Spencer Turnbull (shoulder) was activated from the 10-day injured list on Friday and started the series opener, surrendering five runs on four hits and three walks in three innings of a no-decision.
3. Kansas City LHP Danny Duffy exited Friday's start in the third inning with a contusion on his throwing hand after being hit by a line drive and is day-to-day.