Detroit Tigers vs. Kansas City Royals - September 8

Justin Verlander will start Friday night in the series opener against the Kansas City Royals.

(Mike Mulholland | MLive Media Group)

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Detroit Tigers have the Kansas City Royals right where they want them: behind them in the standings.

But the Tigers would be in much better shape if there were a bit more distance between themselves and the team that is challenging them for the Central Division title.

The Tigers have the chance to build upon their half-game division lead this weekend in their biggest series of the season. The Tigers can all but bury the Royals with a sweep, but anything less than two out of three for the Tigers and the Royals will be in the division lead come Sunday night.

"They're going to be fighting," Detroit outfielder Torii Hunter said. "They're a good team, a good athletic team with speed, a good bullpen, so it's going to be a dogfight. We've just got to go out there and do what we're capable of and have faith and use all of our experience that we have in this clubhouse and get the job done."

The Tigers are 11-5 (.688) against the Royals this season and have won four of the five series against them. They have a better record against the Royals than they have against any other team in the Central Division.

The Tigers have averaged 5.3 runs per game against Kansas City while holding the Royals to 3.6 runs per game in their 16 meetings. The Royals are better defensively than the Tigers. They are better on the bases. They have a better bullpen. The have a better starting rotation. (Check the numbers.)

But the Tigers clearly have a better offense. They have scored 108 more runs this season than the Royals have.

Detroit's Justin Verlander, who will start Friday in the series opener, is 18-7 with a 3.23 ERA in his career against the Royals. But he has a healthy amount of respect for the opposition.

"They can score a whole bunch of runs," Verlander said. "They can score in a hurry. They've got a bunch of guys that can swing the bat, go after pitches and hit the ball hard. It's just like anybody. Anybody can do damage in a hurry, but like any other team, they are pitchable. You make good pitches and hopefully good pitching beats good hitting."

The pitching matchup Saturday afternoon should be a good one. Detroit's Max Scherzer and Kansas City's James Shields, likely to be the most sought after pitchers in free agency this winter, will square off.

The Tigers are more than willing to admit that this is a huge series. But they are also careful to point out that every win is key at this time of year. They proved that the hard way by losing the final two games of their series against the Minnesota Twins, including an 8-4 loss Wednesday.

"Every win from here on out is very important and every mistake that you make is going to get magnified," Hunter said. "This is 'Septober,' baby. You've got to come with it."

Tigers manager Brad Ausmus agreed while stressing that fact prior to his team's game Wednesday night.

"We've got to win every game," he said. "I know it's a big series when you're playing the team that you're fighting for the division. You have more control over the outcome. But we've still got to win (other games)."

The Tigers would much prefer to have the division wrapped up by now. They have the Royals where they want them -- behind them -- but they'd certainly prefer that the race would be over already.

Still, Verlander tried to put a positive spin on the fact that the Tigers -- if they do clinch a spot -- will clinch a spot late.

"You'd like to be up six or seven and be clinching right now, but sometimes I think that works against you," he said. "I think it's maybe better for a team to be playing meaningful games coming down the wire going into the playoffs and not just kind of coasting.

"I've been on both sides of it and I really feel like those intense games all the way through September really, really help you when it comes to the postseason."

One thing is certain: If the Tigers are going to clinch a division title, they are going to do it at Comerica Park. Following the series against the Royals, they will have seven games remaining, all at home.

They could head home with a division lead of 3 1/2 games. They could trail by 2 1/2 games. They could stand somewhere in between. It all hinges on how they fare in three games against a team they have handled well over the course of 16 meetings this season.

"It's going to be a lot of fun, a lot of energy," Hunter said. But may the best team win. Hopefully it's us."

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