KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Interstat) — The Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals open a three-game series Friday night at Kauffman Stadium, with both clubs seeking to climb out of the early-season doldrums.

Detroit (18-20) sends right-hander Keider Montero (2-2) to the mound. Montero will look to steady a Tigers rotation that has struggled of late. Kansas City (17-21) counters with left-hander Kris Bubic (3-1), who has been a bright spot for the Royals.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. CDT under cloudy skies and 65 degrees.

Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty is a player to watch, though he is not scheduled to start. Flaherty has endured a difficult stretch, taking losses in his last four outings, including a hard-luck defeat Wednesday against Boston in which he struck out 10 over five innings, allowing two earned runs. He was sharp against Kansas City on April 15, earning a win after tossing six innings of one-run ball.

For Kansas City, shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. enters red-hot. He went 4-for-4 with a home run Thursday in an 8-5 loss to Cleveland, and has hits in six of his last eight games. Over his last 10 contests, Witt is batting .367 with three homers and five RBIs.

The Tigers took all three games in a previous series against Kansas City from April 14-16 in Detroit, winning by scores of 2-1, 2-1 and 10-9. The Royals are looking to reverse that trend at home.

Detroit has lost four of its last five games, most recently a 4-0 shutout loss to Boston. The Tigers’ offense managed just three hits in that game.

Kansas City has dropped two straight after taking two of three from Cleveland, and four of six overall.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, the Royals are projected to win 6-4 and hold a 51.9 percent win probability. Kansas City is installed as a -1.5 run favorite, with the over/under set at 8.5 runs.