Kansas City at Detroit

Detroit has had to deal with a pair of surprise pesky teams in the AL Central, as the Indians and Royals have hung around all season. The last thing they want to do is breath some life into this Royals team, so I think in their minds they can put this team away for good with a win in the series opener. The Tigers have lost six straight Verlander starts, but he has pitched well of late, allowing seven runs total in his last three starts. The Royals have gotten good numbers from recycled starter Bruce Chen, who is 7-2, but he has struggled mightily in the role of a road dog over his career, at 5-16 in his last 21 in this role. The Tigers are standing tall behind Verlander at home vs. a winning team, at 37-14 in his last 51, and Kansas City is just 3-11 in their last 14 here. Play on Detroit.