(Sports Network) - Detroit has underachieved so far in 2008, a campaign that got off to a bad start thanks to Kansas City. The Royals will try to stifle the Tigers once again tonight in the opener of a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium.

The Tigers began the season by losing seven straight, a stretch that included a three-game sweep at the hands of the Royals on March 31-April 3. Tonight, Detroit faces the pitcher that dealt that third loss.

Zack Greinke defeated the Tigers on April 3, holding them to a run and six hits over seven innings. Brandon Inge was the lone Tiger to have success on that day, as he went 2-for-2 with a homer off of the KC starter.

Inge started at third that day in place of Miguel Cabrera, who was battling a sore left quad. He has struck out in his lone career at-bat versus Greinke, while Inge is hitting .318 (7-for-22) with a pair of homers off of him.

In his career, Greinke is 7-3 with a 3.15 ERA in 14 games (11 starts) against the Tigers. The former 2002 first-round pick is developing into the club's ace, as Greinke is 4-1 on the season and second in the American League with a 1.80 earned run average.

Greinke's ERA actually went up after his last outing, a victory over the Angels on Wednesday. The right-hander gave up a season-high tying three runs in addition to five hits and eight strikeouts in seven innings of work.

He will follow Brain Bannister, who was outstanding in Sunday's 4-0 victory over Baltimore. Bannister (4-4) took the win after allowing just two hits and a pair of walks while striking out five batters in his time on the hill.

Jose Guillen and Billy Butler each collected a pair of hits and a run batted in for the Royals, who improved to just 2-5 on their current 10-game homestand. Alex Gordon and Mark Teahen accounted for the other Kansas City RBI.

Detroit has been out of action since Saturday, as Sunday's finale against the New York Yankees was postponed due to rain. Nate Robertson was slated to start Sunday's test, but the left-hander will toe the rubber tonight instead. Robertson is 4-5 with a 5.34 ERA in 10 career starts against the Royals, and lost both starts against them last season.

Robertson will make his eighth start of the 2008 campaign tonight, and has yet to allow fewer than four runs in any of his outings this season. He fell to 1-4 after last Tuesday's loss to Boston, a start that saw Robertson give up four runs on a season-high 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings of work. His ERA also rose to 6.64 this season.

Robertson is just one of the reasons that the Tigers have a major-league worst 5.09 ERA on the season. Detroit has lost seven of its last nine overall, and is dead last in the AL Central, a half-game behind the fourth-place Royals.

Cabrera is hitting only .252 this season and has just six homers. He hasn't had a multi-hit game since May 1, which was also the last time he homered.