First pitch: Monday, 7:00 p.m. ET
Line: N/A, Total: N/A

The Royals will be looking to earn a big victory over the Tigers on Monday night.

Both Detroit and Kansas City are not off to the starts that they were hoping for this season. Both teams find themselves behind in the AL Central standings, but there is still time for that to change. The Twins are currently up near the top, but it’s very possible that they are going to slide at some point. Minnesota has plenty of young talent, but the team was not supposed to be ready for the postseason just yet. Cleveland, meanwhile, is not performing up to expectations. That makes this a wide-open race for the division, and both the Tigers and Royals know that. They just need to start playing to their potential. The starters for this Monday showdown are going to be LHP Daniel Norris (2-3, 4.38 ERA, 44 K) for Detroit and RHP Jason Hammel (1-6, 5.98 ERA, 38 K) for Kansas City. Both guys are capable of having some poor outings, so do not be surprised if this thing goes Over the total.

The Tigers can really use a win in Kansas City on Monday, but that means that Daniel Norris will need to pitch a good game for Detroit. Norris is coming off of one of his best starts of the season for the Tigers, as he allowed just one earned run in 6.1 innings of work against the Astros in Houston on May 24. That is one of the most potent lineups in baseball, so Norris’ confidence should be high when he takes the mound on Monday. He will, however, need to do his best to limit his walks. The lefty has walked two or more batters in all of his starts this season, and it’d be huge if he can avoid putting guys on easily here. Offensively, 3B Miguel Cabrera is somebody that is going to need to step his game up in this one. He has done pretty well against Jason Hammel in his career, going 5-for-13 with two doubles against the righty. He’ll need to find a way to get to him here as well. OF J.D. Martinez and 2B Ian Kinsler can also do some damage here. Both have homered off of Hammel and it’d be huge if they do it again on Monday.

Jason Hammel has really struggled this season, but he is coming off of one of his best starts of the season for the Royals. Hammel pitched six innings against the Yankees in that start on May 24, allowing just three earned runs and striking out seven batters. His teammates did not provide any run support for him, and that can’t be the case again on Monday. Offensively, a few guys are going to need to come ready to hit in this game. One guy that might be able to provide a spark is SS Alcides Escobar. Escobar has been downright awful for Kansas City this season, but he is 4-for-9 with a homer and three RBI against Norris in his career. This matchup could be just what the doctor ordered for the struggling 30-year-old. Another guy that should be able to play well here is OF Lorenzo Cain. It’s a small sample size, but Cain is 3-for-5 with a double against Norris in their limited matchups. Cain has also struggled this year, so he’ll definitely be looking forward to this one.