KC Royals unable to hold lead, lose 6-5 at Tigers in second game of series
The Kansas City Royals were on the receiving end of another bullpen collapse on Saturday night against the Detroit Tigers.
The Royals held a 3-1 lead in the seventh inning. The late frames were set up perfectly with veteran reliever Chris Stratton coming on in a high-leverage role.
Stratton, however, failed to protect the lead. The Tigers scored five runs in the inning and held on for a 6-5 victory over the Royals at Comerica Park.
The loss put an end to the Royals’ four-game winning streak.
“I just left pitches over the middle of the plate,” Stratton said. “Those are big-league hitters, and they did exactly what they were supposed to do. I came in and just didn’t execute. And they made me pay for it.”
Stratton allowed four hits and surrendered a three-run homer to Tigers slugger Matt Vierling. The home run swayed momentum as the Royals fell behind.
KC (17-11) attempted to mount its own comeback in the ninth inning. Maikel Garcia collected an RBI groundout that cut the deficit. Then, Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. followed with a RBI single to bring the go-ahead run to the plate.
However, Tigers reliever Jason Foley retired Vinnie Pasquantino on a long flyout to end the game. Foley picked up his eighth save of the year.
“It’s a tough loss,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “We have to take advantage of some of their mistakes that we didn’t capitalize on. They had one big inning is what it boils down to. Our guys battled until the end.”
Detroit improved to 15-12. Royals starting pitcher Brady Singer earned a no decision after pitching five innings and allowing one run.
KC will go for the series victory on Sunday afternoon.
Missed previous games of the series?
Game 1: Adam Frazier shines with HR robbery as Royals win 8-0 over Tigers
Web Gem: Inside Kyle Isbel’s incredible catch against the Toronto Blue Jays
Here are more notables from Saturday’s game:
Brady Singer battles feisty Tigers lineup
Singer kept the Tigers in check in the early going. Still, he was challenged across five innings of work.
The Tigers registered four hits and three walks against Singer. In the second inning, Zach McKinstry hit an RBI triple that scored Colt Keith.
Keith had worked a leadoff walk in the inning. Singer, who threw 59 of 93 pitches for strikes, limited any further trouble. He stranded McKinstry at third base by getting Javier Baez, Jake Rogers and Riley Greene in order to end the threat.
“I thought my stuff was good. I just got to eliminate these leadoff walks,” Singer said. “You know, obviously, it bit me the last inning against the Blue Jays there and this outing here. Just kind of pitching myself into jams. (I want to) eliminate that and try to get deeper into games.”
In the fourth inning, Singer got Greene again. Singer induced a groundout as the Tigers left two more runners on base.
The Tigers were 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position in the game. Per Statcast, Singer generated 35 swings and eight whiffs in his outing.
“They fouled a lot of pitches,” Royals captain Salvador Perez said of Singer’s start. “He had a lot of pitches by the sixth inning. He did a pretty good job tonight for fighting it.”
Royals grab early lead in 1st inning
The Royals didn’t waste time getting on the scoreboard. Garcia led off the game with a single.
Witt followed with a single that advanced Garcia to third base. Next, Royals Pasquantino recorded an RBI groundout as KC took a 1-0 lead.
Later, Perez added another run. He drilled an RBI single against Tigers starter Casey Mize. It was Perez’s 838th career RBI as he surpassed Royals Hall of Famer Mike Sweeney for fifth on the all-time franchise list.
“We had good situational hitting there in the first inning,” Quatraro said. “We scored again in the second to go up three. As you saw, they struggled in the infield, made some misplays and we didn’t capitalize on them enough.”
What’s next on the KC Royals’ schedule?
The Royals conclude their three-game series against the Tigers on Sunday.
Michael Wacha will pitch in the series finale against Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. Wacha owns a 3.81 ERA in five starts this season. He allowed two earned runs in 4 1/3 innings in his last outing against the Toronto Blue Jays.
