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The Kansas City Royals hope to win a second straight road series against an AL Central opponent when they take on the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.
Jeremy Guthrie will start the game for Kansas City. Guthrie has pitched better than most expected, posting a 4.11 ERA with a 4.73 FIP over 190 2/3 innings. The veteran has pitched to contact throughout the season (12.5% K%, 6.8% BB%), with the Royals defense helping him keep his ERA manageable.
The Royals are using the same lineup for the second day in a row. David Lesky of Pine Tar Press brings us the Royals batting order:
#Royals lineup vs. Scherzer: Gordon LF Bonifacio 2B Hosmer 1B Butler DH Perez C Moustakas 3B Cain RF Dyson CF Escobar SS Guthrie P
— David Lesky (@DBLesky) September 15, 2013
Max Scherzer will start the game for Detroit. The right-hander has been one of the best pitchers in the AL this season; he owns a 3.01 ERA with a 2.71 FIP. Scherzer still strikes out a ton of opponents (28.4%), but his biggest improvements this season has been a 7.5% HR/FB% and a .259 BABIP. Neither of those numbers seem particularly sustainable, so it's unlikely Scherzer pitches this well again next year.
Hector Santiago will replace Jose Iglesias at shortstop, but the rest of the Detroit lineup is the same as Saturday. The Tigers official Twitter account bring us their starting nine:
#Tigers lineup: Jackson 8, Hunter 9, Cabrera 5, Fielder, 4, Martinez DH, Dirks 7, Infante 4, Avila 2, Santiago 6. Scherzer is starting.
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) September 15, 2013
Bob Dutton says their is a good chance of an extended rain delay, so this one may not start on time. The game is scheduled to being at 12:08 p.m. CT, with coverage on TBS.
Song of the Day: Agalloch - Not Unlike the Waves
Agalloch is a unique metal band, mixing elements of folk, progressive and black metal. They also show a heavy post-rock influence, especially on "Not Unlike the Waves." It's a long song, but I hope it impresses as we wait for the game to start.