Royals Report: KC Defeats Detroit 3-1 Behind Ian Kennedy

The Royals won their second straight game, defeating the Detroit Tigers 3-1 at Comerica Park on Monday night. Kansas City is now 3-1 on their current road trip.

The Kansas City Royals improved to 58-60 with their 3-1 win on Monday. Kansas City pulled within 10.0 games of AL Central leader Cleveland. Detroit fell to 63-55 and remain in second place in the AL Central. The Tigers lost a game to both the Royals and Indians.

Ian Kennedy continued a recent trend of improved starting pitching for KC by going 6.2 innings on Monday, while allowing only 5 hits, 1 walks, and 1 earned run with 5 strikeouts. Kennedy got his first decision in four starts, improving his season record to 7-9. The only Detroit run scored on a solo home run by J.D. Martinez in seventh inning with one out.

Kennedy notched one more out on Justin Upton‘s liner to center, but third baseman Casey McGehee stroked a single to chase Kennedy. Peter Moylan then surrendered an infield single to catcher Brian McCann, before retiring pinch hitter Mike Aviles on a pop foul to first base.

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The Kansas City Royals gave Kennedy a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a walk to leadoff hitter Paulo Orlando, an infield single by Cheslor Cuthbert which starting pitcher Daniel Norris threw past first to allow Orlando to reach third, and a sacrifice fly by Eric Hosmer. The KC Royals padded their lead with another run in the sixth on Raul Mondesi‘s bunt single to score Alex Gordon, and added an insurance run in the ninth on Lorenzo Cain‘s RBI single to plate Alcides Escobar.

Joakim Soria pitched a scoreless eighth inning despite a two-out throwing error on Raul Mondesi, and Kelvin Herrera shut down the Tigers in the ninth with a clean frame that included two strikeouts for his fifth save.

Detroit starter Daniel Norris ended up a tough luck loser, despite holding Kansas City to 1 earned run over 5.1 innings.

Perhaps the best news, however, came in the 7th inning when the KC broadcast crew spotted a praying mantis on top of the Kansas City dugout. The players also noticed the insect, and captured it as a new pet. They were on the lookout for a new insect friend because Rally Mantis passed away on Friday. So, after a gap of a couple of days, the KC Royals have found themselves a new good luck charm.

Next: Is Paulo Orlando Really This Good?

Long live Rally Mantis! May many more wins follow!