Eric Hosmer injury: Royals 1B exits game with shoulder pain

Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer exited Thursday night's game against the Detroit Tigers with shoulder pain.

Alex Gordon, Jeff Francoeur bolster Royals' defense

Jeff Francoeur is gunning for Alex Gordon's Royals outfield assists record, currently set at 20. Francoeur has 19 assists on the season; the whole team has recorded 48, a total which leads the second-place Athletics by 12. Gordon says that he'd like to see Francoeur at least join him in the team record books:

"He's trying really hard to get it. He's telling me he wants to get it and tie me, and if there's any guy that I want to share the record with, it's my good friend Frenchy," Gordon said.

"So I hope he gets it. I hope he doesn't beat me but [that he] ties me so we can share it together."

Gordon has 14 assists in the 2012 season. Jarrod Dyson has assisted on eight plays, and Jason Bourgeois and Lorenzo Cain have three assists each. Eric Hosmer has also chipped in one assist in his 16 innings played this year in right field.

Royals vs. Tigers final score: Kansas City falls, 5-4, in another tight loss

The Kansas City Royals dropped another close game to Detroit Thursday afternoon, losing, 5-4, on a walk-off groundout from the Tigers' Alex Avila. The Royals (70-86) came close, again, to hurting the Tigers' AL Central pennant chances in their last 2012 visit to the Motor City, yet Kansas City leaves town without a win in the four-game set.

Detroit's offense plated runs early off Royals starter Luis Mendoza. Prince Fielder and Delmon Young knocked in runs in the first, and the damage might have been greater had Fielder not been thrown out at home trying to score on an Andy Dirks single. Quintin Berry drove in two more runs with a second-inning triple. Mendoza (8-9, 4.36) settled down after the second, holding the Tigers (84-72) to two singles in five more innings of work.

Doug Fister was brilliant for seven innings, shutting out the Royals and striking out 10. Fister tired in the eighth and let Kansas City back into the game. Mike Moustakas and Jeff Francoeur led off the inning with back-to-back doubles, scoring Moustakas. A Johnny Giavotella groundout drove in Francoeur, and then Tony Abreu drove in David Lough with a single before Phil Coke relieved Fister and got the Tigers out of the inning.

A 4-3 Detroit lead entering the ninth was erased by a Billy Butler home run off Joaquin Benoit. The Tigers responded with a Prince Fielder double to lead off the home ninth; then an intentional walk, fielder's choice and a Moustakas error set the table for Avila to drive in pinch-runner Don Kelly with a groundout to first.

Tigers vs. Royals preview: Game time, TV info and more

A night after grabbing the outright AL Central division lead, the Detroit Tigers will seek to add to it and sweep the Kansas City Royals in the process at home on Thursday afternoon. The Royals will be trying their hardest to stop them.

Doug Fister (10-9, 3.43 ERA) takes the mound for the Tigers after a complete game shutout of the Minnesota Twins in his last start on Sept. 22. In that outing, Fister gave up seven hits and struck out seven while allowing zero walks.

Kansas City will try to snap their four-game losing skid by countering with starter Luis Mendoza (8-9, 4.44 ERA), a winner in his last start, going six innings and giving up two earned runs in a 6-3 defeat of the Cleveland Indians on Sept. 21.

The Tigers earned a 5-4 win on Wednesday night following shortstop Jhonny Peralta's RBI groundout in the bottom of the eighth inning and Jose Valverde's 32nd save of the season in the ninth. The victory gave Detroit a full one-game advantage over the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central after Chicago lost at home to the Indians, 6-4.

Game-time is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. CT at Comerica Park on Thursday, and can be seen on FOX Sports Kansas City.

Royals vs. Tigers final score: Kansas City unable to hold lead, falls 5-4

After dropping the first two games of a four-game series against the Detroit Tigers, the Kansas City Royals were unable to hold onto a lead in the third game on Wednesday night and instead fell to Detroit, 5-4.

Jeremy Guthrie registered seven innings of work and allowed four runs, including a three-run fourth inning.

Opposing Guthrie was right-handed starting pitcher Rick Porcello, who lasted just four innings. The righty allowed seven batters to reach base in his four innings and allowed four runs.

The Royals held a 4-1 lead entering the bottom of the fourth, but the Tigers' offense was then able to rattle off three runs and tie the game. Despite out-hitting the Tigers on Wednesday, the Royals were unable to score another run after Porcello exited the game and recorded just three hits in the five innings that followed.

Kansas City will now look to snap its four-game losing streak on Thursday night against the Detroit Tigers and avoid being swept by them as well.

Royals vs. Tigers Lineups: Jeremy Guthrie looks to stop Detroit from winning series

The Kansas City Royals will play Game 3 of a four-game set against the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night at Comerica Park in Detroit, Mich. Jeremy Guthrie will be on the mound for the Royals, who are looking to rebound after dropping the first two games of the series.

Here are the lineups:

Royals

1. David Lough CF
2. Alcides Escobar SS
3. Alex Gordon LF
4. Billy Butler DH
5. Salvador Perez C
6. Mike Moustakas 3B
7. Jeff Francoeur RF
8. Eric Hosmer 1B
9. Irving Falu 2B

Tigers

1. Austin Jackson CF
2. Quintin Berry LF
3. Miguel Cabrera 3B
4. Prince Fielder 1B
5. Delmon Young DH
6. Andy Dirks RF
7. Jhonny Peralta SS
8. Alex Avila C
9. Omar Infante 2B

Guthrie (7-12, 4.80 ERA) was solid his last time out, as has been the case for most of his outings since joining the Royals. He lasted six innings against the the Chicago White Sox, allowing one earned run on eight hits, while striking out four and walking one. He'll oppose Detroit's Rick Porcello (9-12, 4.57 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. CT.

Jim Leyland says Royals 'on the verge of becoming very good'

The Detroit Tigers manager has been impressed with the young roster his division rival has assembled in Kansas City.

Royals vs. Tigers final score: Kansas City stifled by Detroit's Anibal Sanchez, 2-0

Unable to play the role of spoiler on Tuesday night at Comerica Park, the Kansas City Royals came up short in a hard-fought game against the Detroit Tigers, 2-0.

Royals lefty Bruce Chen yielded 10 hits through six and 2/3 innings to take his 13th defeat of the season, and now has just one start remaining in his 2012 campaign. Along with failing to make it through the seventh inning for the fifth consecutive outing, Chen also tossed a season-high 115 pitches in the loss.

Offensively, Kansas City simply could not find a way to beat Detroit's Anibal Sanchez on a night when the veteran right-hander appeared to have total command of his pitches. Sanchez was dealing with a recent string of poor outings entering Tuesday's game, but still managed to come out and hold the Royals to just three hits for his fifth career shutout.

Set to face Tigers youngster Rick Porcello (9-12, 4.57 ERA), the Royals plan to send 33-year-old pitcher Jeremy Guthrie (7-12, 4.80 ERA) to the mound in Game 3 of the series on Wednesday.

Jake Odorizzi Says Royals Debut Was 'Pretty Calm'

Rookie hurler Jake Odorizzi will be getting his second start ever with the Kansas City Royals some point soon, more than likely. He got his first-ever taste of major league action on Sunday as he started during KC's eventual 15-4 loss to the Cleveland Indians. The loss wasn't completely on his shoulders, as the rookie pitched 5-1/3 innings while only allowing three runs.

Talking after that game, Odorizzi said that even with a large group of family and friends watching him in his first ever MLB start, he was still able to keep his cool as the game went along:

"I wasn't that bad, to tell you the truth," Odorizzi said. "I think it really helped that I have five days to watch the games prior to this, leading up to it, and when it was my turn it was like a normal start going out there. I wasn't too jittery. ... I was pretty calm."

Odorizzi isn't penciled into any future starts quite yet, though he could be the pitcher to fill the first game against the Indians on Friday as the two teams head into another series.

Royals vs. Tigers: Bruce Chen looks to even record

With wins in two of the last three games of their final series against the Chicago White Sox, the Royals jeopardized the AL Central leaders' playoff hopes and allowed the Tigers to close the gap in the division. After losing to Detroit on Monday night, the Royals have a pair of opportunities to throw a similar wrench in the plans of the Tigers, beginning on Tuesday night.

In the first of the back-to-back wins against the White Sox that began on Wednesday night, Royals pitcher Bruce Chen held the opposing team scoreless until he was pulled in the seventh inning. Kelvin Herrera and Greg Holland finished up the shutout effort. Now Chen will take the mound again on Tuesday night as he tries to earn one more win to even his 2012 record at 12-12.

To get the win, Chen will have to hope that the Royals batters can find success against Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez. The end of the season has been rough for Sanchez, as he has earned losses in five of his last eight starts, including one on Thursday when he allowed five runs in less than six innings to the Oakland A's.

The first pitch at Comerica Park is scheduled to be thrown at 6:05 p.m. CT and will be televised on Fox Sports Kansas City and Fox Sports Detroit.

For more on the Kansas City Royals, be sure to check out Royals Review. For more on the Detroit Tigers, head over to Bless You Boys.

Royals Vs. Tigers: Detroit Takes 6-2 Win

The Detroit Tigers took a 6-2 win over the Kansas City Royals in the first game of their four-game set, taking the game that was originally postponed back in April.

Both starting pitchers lasted well into the eighth inning, with Luke Hochevar putting up an efficient game despite the four earned runs he allowed on 11 hits. He was replaced by Nathan Adcock after allowing two baserunners and recording an out in the bottom of the eighth. Adcock allowed one of the baserunners to score and make it 6-2. Justin Verlander struck out eight on 114 pitches before being pulled prior to the start of the ninth inning.

Detroit's win is a big one for its AL Central hopes, with the Chicago White Sox currently in a tough battle with the Cleveland Indians. At the start of the day, they sat only a game up on the Tigers and a loss to the Indians would level the standings.

For more on the Kansas City Royals, be sure to check out Royals Review. For more on the Detroit Tigers, head over to Bless You Boys.

Salvador Perez Injury: Royals Catcher Ready To Return

As the Kansas City Royals get ready to try and spoil the postseason hopes for the Detroit Tigers, they may be getting good news in the return of Salvador Perez. Perez had missed the Royals' last series against the Indians because of slight injuries to his hands, and was held out of the lineup by manager Ned Yost despite his reported pleas to be played:

"He was politicking last night to play today, but no," manager Ned Yost said before Sunday's series finale against the Indians.

The catcher has hit .300 with 11 home runs, 16 doubles and 36 RBIs in 67 games so far this season after starting his season late due to an injury. The Royals begin their four-game set with the Tigers on Monday night as they play a makeup game from April.

For more on the Kansas City Royals, be sure to check out Royals Review. For more on the Detroit Tigers, head over to Bless You Boys.

Royals Hope To Spoil Tigers Playoff Hopes

The four-game set between the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals will see a Tigers team desperate for wins coming against a team plenty set to play the spoiler. As the season nears the homestretch, the Tigers are starting to look less and less like the potential division winner that they were assumed to at the beginning of the season.

Their series against the Royals may be the make-or-break point in their playoff push. They are currently a single game behind the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central. Royals manager Ned Yost has already said that he plans to start the best roster possible in these games, perhaps acting as a spoiler:

"But to the team they're contending with, it's not fair. So when we play Chicago, when we play Detroit, we'll put our best team and our best pitchers on the field every game against them. We won't put any rookies in there unless it's just absolutely out of necessity. That's just the way I've always done it and that's the way it should be."

Kansas City will have a tough time in the first game of the set, drawing ace Justin Verlander as their first match-up against Luke Hochevar. The Royals have scored 12 runs off of Verlander in three starts against him this season.

For more on the Kansas City Royals, be sure to check out Royals Review. For more on the Detroit Tigers, head over to Bless You Boys.

Royals Vs. Tigers Series Preview: Game Time, TV Schedule And More

The Royals head to Detroit for a four-game series starting on Monday against the Tigers.