Royals have felt pain of losing an All-Star less acutely than Tigers

Both the Kansas City Royals and the Detroit Tigers are missing an All-Star. Royals left fielder Alex Gordon is expected to be out at least until late August after suffering a groin strain shortly before the All-Star break, and Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera strained his calf a few days before Gordon went down and is looking at a mid-August return.

Detroit clearly has felt the impact much more than Kansas City.

ROYALS' 2015 NUMBERS FROM STARTING LEFT FIELDERS

TIGERS' 2015 NUMBERS FROM STARTING FIRST BASEMEN

The Royals and Tigers both got the day off Monday -- something that has boded well for both clubs in 2015.

ROYALS/TIGERS - 2015 RECORD BREAKDOWN

It would be no surprise if either the Royals or Tigers already had a lead after the first inning in this series.

BEST FIRST-INNING RUN DIFFERENTIAL IN 2015

Danny Duffy gets the start for the Royals in the series opener. Duffy has improved his numbers remarkably since returning from the disabled list June 24.

DANNY DUFFY'S 2015 STATISTICS PRE- AND POST-DL STINT

Salvador Perez, meanwhile, has been a thorn in Verlander's side since going 2 for 5 in his first game against the big right-hander on Aug. 28, 2012.

MOST WINS VS. ANY OPPONENT SINCE 2006

ACTIVE PLAYERS, HIGHEST CAREER BATTING AVERAGE VS. JUSTIN VERLANDER*