Since a season opening sweep of the Tigers in Detroit, the Royals have gone 13-21, while the Tigers have stumbled along at 16-19. Still, thanks to Detroit's cold start, the Royals have been able to mostly avoid last-place this season, although that could change as quickly as tonight. Actually, in terms of the AL Central standings, the Royals have been all over the place:
| Royal Position in Standings | Days Spent There |
| First | 11 |
| Second | 9 |
| Third | 6 |
| Fourth | 6 |
| Fifth | 4 |
The Royals hit fourth place last Tuesday for the first time and have remained there ever since. Meanwhile, the Tigers have been in fourth or fifth for nearly the entire season: they have spent exactly one day in second and one day in third (this happened consecutively, when they climbed to 14-15). To get back to fourth, they'll need to beat Zack Greinke.