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TUE · SEP 8, 2026
SEP 8
FinalFinal lineupsAL Central

Kansas City Royals   vs   Detroit Tigers Preview

July 25, 2026

Starting pitchers, lineup status, recent form, weather and current moneyline context at Comerica Park.

1:10 PM ET · Comerica ParkStats updated Jul 25, 11:15 AM ETFinal lineups lockedLast update Jul 25, 12:39 PM ET
T-Score33
Kansas City Royals
64–81 · 5th AL Central · T-Score 33
3
3–2
FINAL
Detroit Tigers
66–78 · 4th AL Central · T-Score 55
2
T-Score55
FINALKC +143 · DET −155 · Total 8
KC +143 · DET −155 · Total 8Last update Jul 25, 12:39 PM ET

Matchup at a glance

PitcherStat calculation
CategoryComparisonWhy
Starting pitcherEvenBoth starters enter with comparable season profiles; neither holds a meaningful statistical advantage.
Offense vs handEvenThe handedness splits are nearly even, with less than a .007 difference in OPS.
BullpenTigersDetroit has allowed fewer runs from the bullpen on the season ERA.
Recent formTigersDetroit has won 6 of its last 10 and owns the stronger recent run differential.
Team strengthTigersDetroit leads 55–33 in T-Score, driven by recent team form.

Starting pitchers

KC
Michael Wacha RHP
Michael Wacha
Kansas City Royals
2026 season (MLB rank among qualified starters)
ERA
3.36
48th
WHIP
1.10
36th
K/9
7.28
154th
BB/9
2.24
33rd
P-Score63i
FIP
4.09
HR/9
1.22
121st
OPS/R
0.813
IP
176.2
2026 ERA splits
Home ERA3.14
Road ERA3.56
Last 5 starts
ERA
3.73
QUALITY
START %
60%
(3 of 5)
DAYS
REST
5
DET
Casey Mize RHP
Casey Mize
Detroit Tigers
2026 season (MLB rank among qualified starters)
ERA
3.64
74th
WHIP
1.12
38th
K/9
7.92
124th
BB/9
2.22
30th
P-Score64i
FIP
3.61
HR/9
1.03
88th
OPS/R
0.775
IP
113.2
2026 ERA splits
Home ERA2.98
Road ERA4.25
Last 5 starts
ERA
3.18
QUALITY
START %
40%
(2 of 5)
DAYS
REST
6
How the starters differ
·Wacha has produced a quality start in 60% of outings versus 40%.
·Wacha enters with a 3.56 road ERA; Mize owns a 2.98 ERA at home.
·Mize has one extra day of rest entering this start.
Advanced starter metricsERA−, FIP, WAR, career vs opponent
MetricWachaMizeNote
ERA−7989Park- and league-adjusted; 100 is average.
FIP4.093.61
WAR2.62.7Season value.

How the lineups match the starters' pitch mix

Pitch data coverage: partial. Usage and velocity only.

Wacha arsenal
PitchUsageVelo
Four-seam27%93.1
Changeup25%80.7
Cutter15%89.4
Sinker14%93.2
Curveball10%75.9
Slider9%84.9
Mize arsenal
PitchUsageVelo
Four-seam35%93.4
Slider28%87.5
Splitter23%87.8
Sinker10%93.5
Slurve5%81.3

Team OPS vs opposing starter's hand

Royals vs RHP (Casey Mize)
13th
in MLB
0.725OPS
.600.700.800.9001.000
Tigers vs RHP (Michael Wacha)
16th
in MLB
0.718OPS
.600.700.800.9001.000

Lineups

Final lineupsOrder from the stored snapshot; treat as unofficial until the card is filed.Full lineup page →
Kansas City RoyalsOfficial lineupvs RHP Casey Mize
#HitterPosH-ScoreOPSHRvs RHPVs Mize (BvP)
1Carter JensenLC74.75622.796No MLB historyNo history
2Lane ThomasRLF61.70111.663No MLB historyNo history
3Jac CaglianoneLRF79.82523.864No MLB historyNo history
4Salvador PerezRDH58.66119.626No MLB historyNo history
5Vinnie PasquantinoL1B68.71911.783No MLB historyNo history
6Nick LoftinR3B56.7077.669No MLB historyNo history
7Michael MasseyL2B66.74711.716No MLB historyNo history
8Isaac CollinsSLF54.6636.692No MLB historyNo history
9Andrew VelazquezSSS—.1340.182No MLB historyNo history
1Carter Jensen C · L.230 / .756 · 22 HRvs hand .796 · No MLB history · No history74H-Score2Lane Thomas LF · R.224 / .701 · 11 HRvs hand .663 · No MLB history · No history61H-Score3Jac Caglianone RF · L.283 / .825 · 23 HRvs hand .864 · No MLB history · No history79H-Score4Salvador Perez DH · R.230 / .661 · 19 HRvs hand .626 · No MLB history · No history58H-Score5Vinnie Pasquantino 1B · L.242 / .719 · 11 HRvs hand .783 · No MLB history · No history68H-Score6Nick Loftin 3B · R.237 / .707 · 7 HRvs hand .669 · No MLB history · No history56H-Score7Michael Massey 2B · L.276 / .747 · 11 HRvs hand .716 · No MLB history · No history66H-Score8Isaac Collins LF · S.223 / .663 · 6 HRvs hand .692 · No MLB history · No history54H-Score9Andrew Velazquez SS · S.067 / .134 · 0 HRvs hand .182 · No MLB history · No history—H-Score
Detroit TigersOfficial lineupvs RHP Michael Wacha
#HitterPosH-ScoreOPSHRvs RHPVs Wacha (BvP)
1Colt KeithL3B59.7189.749No MLB historyNo history
2Kevin McGonigleLSS74.78515.844No MLB historyNo history
3Gleyber TorresR2B61.7528.730No MLB historyNo history
4Kerry CarpenterLRF49.69213.723No MLB historyNo history
5Riley GreeneLLF81.84319.863No MLB historyNo history
6Hao-Yu LeeR2B58.7218.791No MLB historyNo history
7Zach McKinstryLRF39.6014.651No MLB historyNo history
8Matt VierlingRCF39.5905.472No MLB historyNo history
9Jake RogersRC44.57641.458No MLB historyNo history
1Colt Keith 3B · L.258 / .718 · 9 HRvs hand .749 · No MLB history · No history59H-Score2Kevin McGonigle SS · L.271 / .785 · 15 HRvs hand .844 · No MLB history · No history74H-Score3Gleyber Torres 2B · R.270 / .752 · 8 HRvs hand .730 · No MLB history · No history61H-Score4Kerry Carpenter RF · L.208 / .692 · 13 HRvs hand .723 · No MLB history · No history49H-Score5Riley Greene LF · L.279 / .843 · 19 HRvs hand .863 · No MLB history · No history81H-Score6Hao-Yu Lee 2B · R.260 / .721 · 8 HRvs hand .791 · No MLB history · No history58H-Score7Zach McKinstry RF · L.210 / .601 · 4 HRvs hand .651 · No MLB history · No history39H-Score8Matt Vierling CF · R.207 / .590 · 5 HRvs hand .472 · No MLB history · No history39H-Score9Jake Rogers C · R.169 / .576 · 4 HRvs hand 1.458 · No MLB history · No history44H-Score

Team comparison

OffenseKCKC·DETDET
AVG.247 12th.238 21st
OPS.718 15th.710 20th
Home runs151 22nd162 18th
Runs621 21st632 20th
OBP.316 15th.314 18th
SLG.402 14th.396 21st
PitchingKCKC·DETDET
1stMLB rank30th
ERA4.69vs3.68
KCDET
WHIP1.39vs1.23
KCDET
K/97.4vs8.2
KCDET
HR Allowed177vs148
KCDET
BullpenKCKC·DETDET
1stMLB rank30th
Bullpen ERA4.88vs3.60
no league rank
Saves34vs28
KCDET
ResultsKCKC·DETDET
+9426th
Run differential
+22210th
64–81 Record66–78
5–5 Last 106–4
Last 10 games
Kansas City Royals (5–5)
L
L
W
W
W
L
W
W
L
L
Detroit Tigers (6–4)
W
W
W
L
W
L
W
W
L
L
2026 head-to-head
Season Series
4—9
13 Games Played

Frequently asked

Who is starting for the Royals?+
Michael Wacha (3.66 ERA, 5–7) is listed as the starter.
Who is starting for the Tigers?+
Casey Mize (2.79 ERA, 4–6) is listed as the starter.
What time does the game start?+
1:10 PM ET at Comerica Park.
Where is the game being played?+
Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers.
Are the lineups confirmed?+
Not as official league cards. The orders shown are the current projected or last-posted lineups.
What is the current moneyline?+
KC +143 · DET −155 · Total 8. Lines are informational only.
What is the current total?+
The total is 8. Lines are informational.
How have the Royals and Tigers performed head-to-head?+
Season series: Tigers 9–4 this season.
How do the starters compare on P-Score?+
Michael Wacha is at 63; Casey Mize is at 64. P-Score is PitcherStat's 0–100 season index for qualified starters.