Brandon Duckworth (1-0, 5.40) vs. 
Kenny Rogers (9-11, 5.09)
Will Tiger Town become a ghost town with football season kicking off this weekend? We shall see. The Tigers ended their four-game losing streak with a 6-3 victory over the Royals in last night's series opener. Can Detroit string some wins together this holiday weekend? If there's one team they've been able to do that against, it's Kansas City.
Will tonight be Kenny Rogers' last start in a Detroit Tigers uniform? Probably not, but we know he was put on waivers and a playoff contender might be interested in a veteran for that September push. Rogers hasn't thrown two consecutive quality starts in quite a while, but he wasn't very good in his last outing, so might be due for a good game today. However, the Royals smacked Rogers around for seven runs (six earned) and eight hits in his last start, so maybe they have his number.
After coming up from Triple-A Omaha, where he posted a 5-11 record, Brandon Duckworth looked like a major league pitcher against the Tigers last Sunday. At first, it looked like Detroit would make sure Duckworth would only be staying in Kansas City for a cup of coffee, tagging him for three runs in his first two innings. But he eventually settled down as the Tigers bats went into hibernation. In his last two starts against Detroit, Duckworth has allowed just three runs in 11 1/3 innings.