Royals Report: 5 Things About KC Rebound In Detroit

5) Royals Rode Strong First Inning To Win

The KC Royals got just what the doctor ordered by putting up four runs against Detroit starter Mike Pelfrey before the Tigers even got to the plate. What a way to set the tone after letting a seventh-inning lead slip away the night before. 

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The Kansas City Royals very much needed to get off to a good start in the second half, and losing the first game while blowing a save wasn’t exactly what they wanted. The strong start against a pitch-to-contact starter like Pelfrey was a godsend.

Escobar opened the game with a ground out, followed by a double from Eric Hosmer, a walk to Kendrys Morales, another walk to Salvador Perez, and a single from Alex Gordon to break the ice and give the Royals a 1-0 lead. Pelfrey plunked Paulo Orlando with a pitch to force in the second run, followed by a ground ball single by Cheslor Cutbert to put KC up 3-0. Christian Colon grounded out to shortstop to score the fourth run of the inning.

The real key to the inning was the back to back walks by Morales and Perez that put Pelfrey in a world of hurt. As a guy who lacks swing and miss stuff, all he could do is hope the KC Royals hit into a double play. Fortunately, for Kansas City, they avoided that fate and did just enough to put up a crooked inning.

The best part was the four run rally killed the sour taste from last night’s loss. It was also a vintage keep-the-line-moving rally that the KC Royals will need to do more of in the coming weeks if they are to pull themselves back into the AL Central race. Many times, it seemed as if Kansas City Royals hitters were trying to muscle up to compete with their opponents.

Instead, if the KC Royals are going to turn things around in the second half, they need to remember the identity that won them two straight American League pennants.

Next: A Second Crooked Inning