Ventura, Royals to face Tigers' Fulmer, the hottest pitcher in baseball

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- When the Detroit Tigers take the field Friday night against the Kansas City Royals, J.D. Martinez won't be in right field, where he had started 64 of the first 66 games.

In fact, Martinez may not be in the Tigers' lineup again until late July or early August.

Martinez fractured his right elbow while running into the wall in the second inning and immediately left the game, which the Tigers won 10-4 while blasting six home runs. His expected recovery time is four to six weeks.

With Martinez going on the disabled list, the Tigers announced they are calling up outfielder Steven Moya, 24, from Triple-A Toledo.

"We need Steven to pick up the slack, and everybody else to pick up the slack," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said.

Replacing Martinez's offensive production won't be easy. In his previous 13 games, he had nine multiple-hit games, batting .451 with nine doubles, one home run, 10 RBIs and seven runs.

The other Martinez in the Tigers' lineup -- Victor -- certainly picked up the slack Thursday with his second career three-homer game. Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer with two out in the seventh to put the Tigers ahead to stay.

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Victor Martinez has 18 career home runs and 113 RBIs against the Royals. Cabrera has 23 home runs and 102 RBIs in 538 career at-bats against the Royals.

The six home runs surrendered by the Royals tied a club record. The last time they allowed six home runs in a game was May, 10, 2007 against Oakland.

"These guys have an offense that if you make the slightest mistake, they can put some runs up on the board in a hurry," Royals manager Ned Yost said.

The Royals welcomed outfielder Brett Eibner from the disabled list Thursday after being out 15 days with an ankle sprain. He singled and homered in his first two at-bats. His first major league homer came off Justin Verlander to lead off the fifth, hitting a first-pitch offering out to center.

"I've got to be aggressive against a guy like that," Eibner said. "Anytime he leaves a fastball up out over the plate, I've got to jump on it. A guy with his service time in the big leagues and what he's accomplished here, it's pretty special."

The Royals face the hottest pitcher in the majors Friday when they go against Tigers rookie right-hander Michael Fulmer, who has allowed one earned run in 34 1/3 innings in winning his past five starts. He held the New York Yankees to two hits in six scoreless innings in his previous two starts, running his scoreless-inning streak to 28 1/3 innings.

Yordano Ventura, who struck out a season-high 10 Chicago White Sox to win his previous start, starts for the Royals. It might be Ventura's last start for a while as he is appealing a nine-game suspension from a June 7 incident at Baltimore that led to a dugout-clearing melee.