Royals Report: 4 Things About Hanging 16 Runs On Tigers

The Royals blasted the Detroit Tigers for a 16-5 victory on Saturday night, despite not hitting a home run. The KC Royals stroked a season-high 20 hits to pummel the Tigers with nine runs in the late innings.

The Kansas City Royals improved to 37-31, and remain 0.5 games behind the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central. The Tigers fell to 34-34 and 3.5 games behind Cleveland.

The Tigers scored two runs off KC Royals starter Edinson Volquez in the first inning, before responding with four runs in the bottom of the second. From that time on, the Kansas City Royals remained in control of this game. When the Tigers threatened to make a game of it by tagging Volquez for three runs in the seventh inning, the Royals scored three in the bottom half of the frame and five in the eighth.

Eight out of the nine players that started the game for the KC Royals got a hit, and seven of them notched two or more. The only player left out of the party was no. 9 hitter Cheslor Cuthbert. Though the Kansas City Royals failed to put the ball over the wall, they did slam seven doubles and stole two bases. 

The KC Royals busted the Tigers pen so badly that Detroit manager Brad Ausmus used position player Andrew Romine to fnish the eighth inning. Interestingly enough, Romine ended up becoming the only Detroit pitcher not to give up an earned run.

On to my observations about Saturday’s game:

Next: Edinson Volquez

4) Edinson Volquez Was Better Than His Stat Line

The real key to this game was Edinson Volquez settling down after a rough first inning in which he gave up two runs. Volquez held the Tigers scoreless over then next five innings as the KC Royals took over the game by scoring eight runs.

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With a six-run bulge in the seventh inning, Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost sent Volquez back to the mound with a safe lead. Had the game been close, Yost would likely have brought out his three-headed monster to finish the game at that point, and Volquez would have hit the showers having given up only two earned runs in six innings.

Instead, Detroit hung three runs on Volquez in the seventh, including a two-run home run from Justin Upton. That one extra out gave Volquez a bad 6.1 IP, 5 ER, 6 K line that looked much worse than it really was.

Volquez did get the win to run his season record to 7-6, but his ERA jumped to 4.12. Saturday night was a game where the stats don’t really tell the story. Edinson Volquez was a big reason why the KC Royals won Saturday night, not someone they won in spite of.

Next: Whit Merrifield

3) Whit Merrifield Lashed The Key Hit

Rookie Whit Merrifield put the Kansas City Royals in the driver’s seat Saturday night with his two-RBI second inning double.

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At that point, the KC Royals had tied the game against Detroit starter Matt Boyd. With two outs, had Boyd been able to get Merrifield with runners on second and third, he might have managed to prevent Kansas City hitters from getting on one of their home-field rolls. Instead, Merrifield doubled to left, putting the KC Royals ahead 4-2.

Trailing Kansas City by two runs early is always a big problem with the Kansas City Royals outstanding pen capable of taking over in the sixth. That leaves opponents a narrow window before having to deal with the KC Royals three-headed bullpen monster to pull out a win.

Merrifield also added an RBI single in the three-run Kansas City fourth inning that gave the Royals a commanding 7-2 lead. For the night, Merrifield went 3 for 5, 1 walk, 1 run scored, and 4 RBI’s. He upped his triple slash to .339/.356/.496 just when you think he has to cool off sometime.

Whit Merrifield is living the dream and no KC Royals fan wants to wake him up.

Next: Kendrys Morales

2) Kendrys Morales Is On Fire

Kendrys Morales has made one out in his last 10 plate appearances.

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That’s pretty good. In fact, at one point in Saturday’s game, Morales had a string of reaching base safely in seven straight plate appearances going back to Friday’s game. Morales grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the fifth that broke his streak, but he then added a double and a single.

For the day, Kendrys Morales went 4 for 5, with 2 doubles, 4 runs scored, and 5 RBI’s. Though three of Morales’ four hits came against lefties Matt Boyd and Blaine Hardy, he also dinged right-handed reliever Mark Lowe for a hit.

Of course, on Friday night, Morales went 2-2 with 3 walks against right-handed pitchers. Even after last night’s big game against a right-handed starter that included his eighth home run, Morales slash line against them was still an anemic .212/.283/.354 coming into Saturday. Even so, Morales has figured out how to take shots at left field when hitting from the left side, which has helped him break out of his slump.

The KC Royals really need Morales to be a threat in the middle of their lineup like he was in 2015.

Next: The Road