Royals Report: 5 Things About Bounce-Back Vs. Tigers

4) Brad Ausmus‘s Strange Decision

Ned Yost isn’t the only manager that makes curious decisions with his relief pitchers. In the key seventh inning, the KC Royals held a slim 1-0 lead with with runners on first and second with left-handed hitting Eric Hosmer at the plate.

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Detroit manager Brad Ausmus elected to go with righty reliever Shane Greene even though he had ex Royals lefty farmhand Blaine Hardy already warm in the bullpen. Conventional baseball strategy suggests the manager should bring the lefty in to get the platoon advantage against the hot-hitting Eric Hosmer (.317/.376/.520).

Hosmer promptly singled to bring home an insurance run, triggering a four-run Kansas City Royals rally that gave KC a dominating 5-0 lead.

The seventh inning turned a nail biter into an easy win. The Royals went from looking to finish out the game with closer Wade Davis, to bringing in mop up men after the already warm Herrera, who had escaped a jam in the seventh, also pitched the eighth.

The Tigers also brought out their second line relievers. With both teams bringing in their garbage time guys, the KC Royals scored five more times in the eighth and the Tigers added three in the ninth.

Although the 10-3 game looked like a laugher, it was actually a tight 0-0 game through five innings and a narrow 1-0 in the seventh. Ausmus’s odd choice had a lot to do with the Kansas City Royals catching fire and breaking the game open.

Next: Kendrys Morales