Royals Video

Davies' six strikeouts

Davies solid effort

Tigers Video

Porcello's eight strikeouts

Porcello's stellar start

Kyle Davies and Rick Porcello have tallied three wins in their last 25 starts combined, and both righties have an ERA above 5.00. But, in a way, something has to give on Tuesday.

Porcello will be aiming to lead Detroit to a series victory and bounce back from his last outing against the Yankees, where he surrendered six earned runs on six hits over five innings.

"It's definitely frustrating," Porcello said after that game, "because I felt like I had good stuff and today was a pretty good day for me to go out there and compete against those guys. A couple stupid mistakes, and that's what ends up costing you."

Davies was solid in his last start, tossing 7 1/3 innings and allowing three earned runs on seven hits and no walks. Still, he did not factor into the decision and has one win in his last five outings.

The Tigers and Royals have split their 10 matchups so far this season.

Royals: Betemit's numbers soar
Despite an 0-for-3 performance in Monday's game against the Tigers, Wilson Betemit has continued to swing a hot bat for the Royals this season and now could be dubbed as a bit of a late bloomer. The eight-year veteran hit .412 (14-for-34) during Kansas City's most recent nine-game homestand with four home runs, nine RBIs and six walks. The switch-hitter is posting a .340 overall average this season, which includes a .348 clip against left-handers.

"He's been a talented player ever since he came to the big leagues," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "But there's an aspect to the game, the mental aspect and the preparation and the approach aspect that sometimes takes guys longer to understand and become successful. Some guys never get it. That's where the frustration comes in, when you see a guy with a lot of talent that never understands the mental side and you just see them spinning their wheels. But Wilson is a kid who looks to me that he finally has it figured out."

Tigers: Damon's decision looms
Johnny Damon has a big decision to make by Wednesday afternoon, as the Red Sox put in a waiver claim for the outfielder on Monday. Damon spent four seasons in Boston and helped the Red Sox win the World Series in 2004, but there still appears to be some hard feelings about the way his tenure with the organization ended when he signed with the Yankees after the 2005 season. Because of a no-trade clause in his contract, Damon has the right to accept or decline any move to the Red Sox, who entering Monday sat 6 1/2 games behind the Yankees in the AL East and 5 1/2 games back of the Rays in the Wild Card race.

"At this moment, I'm not sure I want to leave Detroit for that," Damon said. "I enjoy playing here. I enjoy the kids I'm playing for, the coaching staff. But obviously, [Red Sox manager] Terry Francona is amazing. But it's something that I'm going to have to think long and hard over."

Worth noting
The Royals have played 47 one-run games this season, which are the most in the Majors. ... Joakim Soria has coverted 28 consecutive save opportunities. ... Royals manager Ned Yost has tallied 998 career victories. ... Entering Monday, Yuniesky Betancourt ranked in the top five among Major League shortstops in RBI (second, 61), home runs (fourth, 13) and doubles (fourth, 24). ... Miguel Cabrera has feasted on Royals pitching throughout his career, batting .350 (64-for-183) with nine doubles, 14 home runs and 42 RBIs in 47 games. His average was the fourth-best against the Royals among active players entering Monday. ... Will Rhymes' four-hit performance on Sunday marked the fourth time a rookie has accomplished that feat for the Tigers this season, which is the most since the 1954 club had a first-year player tally four hits in a game six times. ... Brandon Inge has 999 career hits and with one more would become the 29th player to reach the 1,000-hit milestone with the Tigers. ... Jose Valverde has converted 24 consecutive save opportunities, which is the third-longest single-season streak in club history.