AL Central

Earlier this month, the Detroit Tigers expanded their playing roster with the annual September call-ups. This coterie of youngsters has arrived in Motown at the back end of Detroit’s roller-coaster season. They may play an important role, as the Tigers are currently looking up in both the division and wild-card standings and chasing their fourth consecutive berth in the postseason.

The final month of the major league season is upon us, and as we learned last season with the implementation of two wild-card berths in each league, there are more teams contending for playoff spots in September than ever before.

The first weekend is already underway, featuring several series that will impact the playoff races. And there will be meaningful meetings all the way through the final week of the season thanks to that second wild card and some tight divisional races.

The last time the Kansas City Royals made the playoffs, Back to the Future was the No. 1 movie in America.

Looking back, KC fans probably wish they'd shoved Marty McFly aside, hopped in Doc Brown's DeLorean and set the coordinates for 2014.

Because only now, 29 excruciating years later, are the Royals finally poised for a return trip to the postseason.

All of the pitching luxuries the Detroit Tigers seemed to have four weeks ago have systematically evaporated and been replaced by the first stages of panic.

Cleveland Indians pitcher Corey Kluber became the third major league hurler to reach 200 strikeouts this season, hitting the milestone in Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins.

In the midst of a tremendous breakout season, the 28-year-old right-hander now has 205 strikeouts through 27 outings, easily topping his previous career-high mark of 136 punchouts, which he set last season.

The Milwaukee Brewers might be the most surprising team overall this season after getting off to a fast start and possessing at least a share of the NL Central lead for all but three days. But the most shocking division leader in Major League Baseball at the moment actually resides in the other Central: the Kansas City Royals.

Apparently 10 is the magic number for Corey Kluber.

The Cleveland Indians ace was brilliant on Friday night against the Baltimore Orioles, allowing one run on five hits and two walks while striking out 10 batters over 7.2 innings.

The Royals are on a warpath.

Kansas City won its eighth game in a row on Monday night, overcoming the Oakland A’s to pull into pole position in the AL Central for the first time in 10 years.

Of course, the most important product of the win was the capstone celebration: a ridiculously athletic backflip by Jarrod Dyson.

The Kansas City Royals haven't played October baseball since 1985, when they won the World Series.

The fact that this team pulled into first place all by itself in the American League Central with a dramatic 3-2 win over the Oakland Athletics on Monday night is kind of a big deal. And, frankly, an unexpected one.

Updates from Tuesday, Aug. 12

Chris Iott of MLive.com reported on Justin Verlander following Tuesday's MRI: