The Detroit Tigers hold a half-game lead in the AL Central entering Friday, when they begin a three-game series on the road against the second-place Kansas City Royals.
MLB Friday viewing guide: Tigers, Royals meet in AL Central showdown in Kansas City
The playoff implications run deep in Friday’s slate of MLB matchups.
Jason Miller
Detroit took two of three from Kansas City in a similarly big series a week and a half ago, and doing so again would give the Tigers at least a little bit of breathing room. Detroit had won seven of eight games before losing on a walk-off against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday. Detroit lost again to the last-place Twins Wednesday, and Kansas City took advantage by taking two of three from the Chicago White Sox.
In the category of "things nobody would have said two years ago," the Royals have an advantage on the mound with Jason Vargas squaring off against Justin Verlander. Vargas owns a 3.41 ERA (117 ERA+) this season, though he hasn't been at his best against the Tigers. But Verlander has been even worse when facing the Royals, posting a 5.57 ERA in five starts. The former ace has also struggled in September, entering Friday with a 6.05 ERA this month in three outings.
Kansas City enters Friday with a half-game lead over the Oakland Athletics and a two-game cushion over the Seattle Mariners atop the AL Wild Card race.
Friday’s MLB schedule
| Time (ET) | Game | TV | Reason to watch |
| 2:20 p.m. | Dodgers at Cubs | SportsNet LA, WGN | Clayton Kershaw (19-3, 1.70 ERA) is the biggest must-watch pitcher since Pedro Martinez. |
| 7:05 p.m. | Red Sox at Orioles | NESN, MASN | The Orioles' next home run will be their 200th of the season. |
| 7:05 p.m | Brewers at Pirates | FS Wisconsin, ROOT Pittsburgh | Milwaukee (2½ games out of the Wild Card race) is fighting for its playoff contention life. |
| 7:05 p.m. | Blue Jays at Yankees | Rogers Sportsnet, YES | The Yankees are staying alive in Derek Jeter's final season, but for how long? |
| 7:10 p.m. | White Sox at Rays | CSN Chicago, Sun Sports | Paul Konerko (out since Sept. 2; in his final MLB season) could return to action. |
| 7:10 p.m. | Nationals at Marlins | MASN 2, FS Florida | Washington tries to extend its lead in the race for home-field advantage in the NL. |
| 7:35 p.m. | Mets at Braves | SNY, FS South | The Braves have an MLB-leading 106 quality starts. Julio Teheran has a good chance to increase that number. |
| 8:10 p.m. | Diamondbacks at Rockies | FS Arizona, ROOT Rocky Mountain | NL West doormats battling for No. 1 overall pick in 2015 draft. |
| 8:10 p.m. | Indians at Twins | SportsTime Ohio, FS North | Cleveland (5 games back of AL Wild Card) is hanging on by a thread. |
| 8:10 p.m. | Tigers at Royals | ESPN2, FS Detroit, FS Kansas City | It doesn't get any better than a virtual dead heat with 10 games left in the season. |
| 8:10 p.m. | Mariners at Astros | ROOT Northwest, CSN Houston | Taijuan Walker: 2-0, 2.81 ERA in three career starts vs. Astros. |
| 8:15 p.m. | Reds at Cardinals | FS Ohio, FS Midwest | Deadline acquisition John Lackey returns for Cardinals after missing last start with "dead arm." |
| 9:35 p.m. | Phillies at Athletics | CSN Philly, CSN California | Jon Lester tries to get the A's back on track after a sweep at the hands of the MLB-worst Rangers. |
| 10:05 p.m. | Rangers at Angels | MLB Network, TXA-21, FS West | Elvis Andrus: .324 career average at Angel Stadium (fifth among active players with at least 100 at-bats). |
| 10:10 p.m. | Giants at Padres | MLB Network, CSN Bay Area, FS San Diego | Tim Hudson: 2.88 ERA in away games this season. |
- Royals Review’s Max Rieper looks at a few other huge series in the team’s history.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin gets a lot of criticism, but the architect behind the team’s successful season deserves some credit for putting the club in a position to win, writes Brew Crew Ball’s Jordan Mader.
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