The defending world champion Kansas City Royals had a lot of players in this year’s All-Star Game, but they have been an overall disappointment as pitching hasn’t really held up. One exception to that is Danny Duffy, who didn’t get to the rotation until May, and he will make for a potentially great duel with Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers in a Tuesday night American League game at Comerica Park. game time is 7:10 PM ET, and BetAnySports customers can keep betting even after the game has started, as they avail themselves of what Live Betting Ultra has to offer.

Detroit (63-55) is the second place team in the American League Central, five games behind the Cleveland Indians but just 2.5 games out of the second AL wild card spot. Kansas City (58-60) may have a glimmer of hope, but it’s fading, as the Royals are ten games behind Cleveland and 7.5 games behind the Red Sox, the #2 wild card team at the moment.

These pitchers have been in very good form lately; Verlander is 12-6 with a 3.42 ERA, but his last eight outings have been a vast improvement on that. Duffy (9-1, 2.82 ERA) had a game for the ages a couple of weeks ago, and he has been like manna from heaven for the Royals’ starting staff.

In the MLB odds posted at BetAnySports, the Tigers are favorites at home, behind their ace:

Kansas City Royals (Duffy – L) +133

Detroit Tigers (Verlander – R) -143

Over 7 Runs -115

Under 7 Runs -105

We are not necessarily going to sit here and say that Danny Duffy has been sensational every time out since he was put into the starting rotation in May, but he has at least been serviceable when he hasn’t been Superman. Duffy appeared immortal on August 1, as he went out for a game against the Tampa Bay Rays. It seemed no one on the Tampa Bay side could even make contact on him, and he had a no-hitter through seven innings. In the end, that got spoiled, but he gave up just one hit on the evening, with sixteen strikeouts, which broke Zack Greinke’s franchise record. And he also induced 35 wings and misses, and interestingly enough, no pitcher in the last fifteen years has had more of those in a game.

Duffy last pitched on August 11, and registered a complete game against the Chicago White Sox, and he had to be on his game, because Kansas City escaped with a 2-1 victory. And talk about being economical – Duffy threw only 98 pitches on the evening – 71 of them strikes, although only nine swinging strikes.

You really can’t say enough about what Verlander has done lately, but most BetAnySports patrons have noticed. He last tasted defeat on June 26, when he was knocked out of a game against Cleveland after 4-2/3 innings. he has a 1.78 ERA in his last eight starts. The shortest he has gone in that period is 5-2/3 innings, with five starts going seven innings or more. He threw 121 pitches in seven innings in his last start, where he gave up one run but the Tigers eventually lost 3-1 to Seattle.

Verlander, who has held the opposition to a .216 batting average, leads the American League in strikeouts (170), and he is one of those guys who can get better as the game progresses. For example, opponents are hitting .217 against him in his first 25 pitches, and just .143 in pitches 51-75. The strikeout rate he has now, at age 33, is the second best of his career.

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