The Detroit Tigers are reeling coming into a weekend series against the host Kansas City Royals that begins on Friday.

The Tigers had a much-needed off day on Thursday after being swept in three games by the visiting Boston Red Sox. Detroit has only won four of its last 12 overall and is without four members of its five-man Opening Day rotation because of injuries or suspension.

Tarik Skubal underwent surgery this week to remove loose bodies from his pitching elbow. Casey Mize (adductor strain) and Justin Verlander (hip inflammation) are on the injured list.

Framber Valdez is serving a five-game suspension for hitting Boston’s Trevor Story with a pitch after surrendering back-to-back home runs on Tuesday night.

“You have to go out there and expect to win every game,” said Detroit bench coach George Lombard, who served as acting manager for the Tigers’ 4-0 loss on Wednesday because manager A.J. Hinch was suspended for that game because of the Valdez plunking incident. “That’s the mindset you have to have.

“I remember joking around with some guys, ‘We might do down three runs.’ And … then they tack on one more and we’re down four. And you have to think, ‘This comeback is going to be even better than we thought. We thought we just have to come back from three, now we’ve got to come back from four.’

“So you have to have the mindset that you’re going out there to win.”

Detroit hopes Keider Montero (2-2, 3.48 ERA) can restore the winning feeling on Friday. The right-hander has been effective after being recalled from Triple-A Toledo early in the season.

Montero got the win in his latest start, a 5-1 decision over the visiting Texas Rangers on Saturday. He allowed a run and five hits in 6 2/3 innings with two walks and two strikeouts.

Montero permitted four runs on seven hits in six-plus innings during a no-decision against the visiting Royals on April 16. He did not walk a batter and struck out and five.

In three career starts against Kansas City covering 17 2/3 innings, Montero is 0-1 with a 4.08 ERA.

Kansas City is coming off a four-game home split against the Cleveland Guardians.

The Royals absorbed an 8-5 loss on Thursday, their second straight setback after taking the first two games of the series.

Kansas City pitchers issued eight walks in the series finale.

“You can’t give a team like that, any team, eight walks,” manager Matt Quatraro said.

Bobby Witt Jr. was 4-for-4 with a walk, and he and Vinnie Pasquantino hit back-to-back homers in the seventh inning.

Left-hander Kris Bubic (3-1, 3.32) is the scheduled starter for the Royals on Friday night.

His most recent outing was a 4-1 road win over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday. Bubic allowed a run and four hits over seven innings while walking two and striking out seven.

Bubic is quite familiar with the American League Central rival Tigers, having faced them 12 times (nine starts) in his career. He is 2-1 with a 3.05 ERA against Detroit.

Bubic started against Montero and the Tigers on April 16, and he lasted 4 2/3 innings while permitting five runs on six hits and three walks. He struck out three in a no-decision.

–Field Level Media

Hard-throwing right-hander Jacob Misiorowski will look to benefit from the Milwaukee Brewers’ rejuvenated offense against the visiting New York Yankees on Friday in the opener of a three-game series.

Misiorowski (2-2, 2.84 ERA), who left his last start with a right hamstring cramp after 5 1/3 hitless innings, will be opposed by left-hander Max Fried (4-1, 2.39).

The Yankees rallied for a 9-2 victory over Texas on Thursday with a six-run sixth inning to finish their homestand 6-1. Cody Bellinger had three hits to extend his hitting streak to nine games.

Yankees left fielder Jasson Dominguez was carted off after crashing into the wall while making a catch on the first play of Thursday’s game. Dominguez sustained a low-grade left AC sprain in his left shoulder and will be placed on the injured list, the team announced. Concussion tests have been negative.

Milwaukee, which was idle Thursday, won at St. Louis 6-2 on Wednesday behind Andrew Vaughn’s three-run homer. It was his first homer since coming off the injured list.

The Yankees, tied for the best record (26-12) in the majors with the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves, have won 16 of their last 19 games. Bellinger is hitting .471 (16-for-34) over his nine-game streak with seven doubles, two triples, two homers and 14 RBIs. Aaron Judge leads the majors with 15 homers, including three in his last five games.

Fried allowed three runs in 5 1/3 innings in his last start, but did not get the decision in an 11-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles. In his two starts prior to that, he did not allow an earned run over a combined 14 innings.

“I was happy with being able to limit and not give up the lead, especially when stuff started kind of going sideways,” Fried said following his last start.

Fried is 3-1 with a 2.84 ERA in six career starts vs. Milwaukee.

The Brewers, whose 24 homers are just one ahead of San Francisco for fewest in the major leagues, have been bolstered by the return of Vaughn and Jackson Chourio.

Chourio, who went on the injured list Opening Day morning with a fractured left hand, is 6-for-9 with three doubles in two games back.

Chourio hit 21 homers with 78 RBIs last season after 21 homers and 79 RBIs as a rookie in 2024. Vaughn, who also went on the IL with a fractured bone in his left hand after playing in the opener, had nine homers and 46 RBIs in 64 games with the Brewers last season after being acquired from the Chicago White Sox.

“He’s done those types of things for us in the past, and it’s great to have him back and in just his second game having that type of impact,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said of Vaughn following Wednesday’s game.

Misiorowski was dominant his last time out with eight strikeouts and two walks in a 6-1 win at Washington, retiring the final 12 hitters before cramping. He had 43 pitches of more than 100 mph, third most in the pitch-tracking era.

Misiorowski has 59 strikeouts in 38 innings, an MLB-best 13.97 per nine innings. Opponents are batting .172 against him. He will be facing the Yankees for the first time.

The meeting is the first since the Yankees swept last season’s opening series in New York, outscoring the Brewers 36-14.

–Field Level Media

The Chicago Cubs are riding high with nine wins in a row and 19 in their past 22 games.

The Texas Rangers have lost seven of their past 10 games, mustering a total of 27 runs in that span.

The Cubs will look to continue their torrid play on Friday night when they begin a nine-game road trip with the opener of a three-game series against the Rangers in Arlington, Texas.

Michael Conforto homered to highlight a 3-for-3 performance as Chicago coasted to an 8-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday. The right fielder also drew a bases-loaded walk to ignite a seven-run fourth inning, helping the Cubs extend their home winning streak to 15 games.

“He had a big day,” Chicago manager Craig Counsell said of Conforto, who was playing in place of Seiya Suzuki (rest). “The at-bats that he’s provided in limited playing time, it’s just really impressive.

“… Player of the game offensively, nice piece to have on your team.”

Conforto also came through in a pinch on Monday, belting a solo homer in the ninth inning to lift the Cubs to a 5-4 walk-off victory over the Reds.

Chicago’s Ian Happ went 0-for-3 with a walk on Thursday, extending his on-base streak to 28 games.

While there is little question about the Cubs’ offense of late, there was a bit of mystery surrounding the team’s starting pitcher for the series opener.

That slot originally was held by Opening Day starter Matthew Boyd, who underwent surgery Thursday morning on the meniscus in his left knee. The left-hander is expected to be sidelined for approximately six weeks.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell ultimately decided to give Ben Brown (1-1, 2.10 ERA) his first start of the season on Friday. The right-hander has one save, 24 strikeouts and eight walks in 25 2/3 innings across 12 relief outings this year.

“That’s really been my goal with Ben, period, is to keep him in bigger outings,” Counsell said, according to MLB.com. “Just because I think he’s capable of carrying that innings load, and it’s a good contrast to the other guys we have in the bullpen.

“We’re just trying to think about the innings puzzle moving forward here. And then you’re also just trying to think about what’s next; you have to play that game, unfortunately. You always have to play that game. What do we do if something else happens? We just have to make sure we are covered there.”

Brown struggled in his lone previous appearance against Texas, when he allowed six runs in 1 2/3 innings in 2024.

Rangers right-hander Kumar Rocker (1-3, 4.71 ERA) will start on Friday.

Rocker lost his second straight start on Saturday after allowing five runs on seven hits in two innings during a 5-1 setback against the host Detroit Tigers. He exited after a season-low 43 pitches.

Rocker has yet to face the Cubs in his career.

Ezequiel Duran homered and drove in both Rangers runs in Texas’ 9-2 road loss to the New York Yankees on Thursday afternoon. He is 7-for-17 with five RBIs and four runs during his season-high five-game hitting streak.

“I’m just trying to keep it simple,” Duran said, per The Dallas Morning News. “Use the big part of the field.”

Texas’ Brandon Nimmo has hit safely in seven of his last eight games after going 2-for-5 in the finale at New York.

–Field Level Media