Royals Report: KC Busts 3-Game Skid With 5-2 Win Over Tigers

The Royals broke their three game losing streak by defeating the Detroit Tigers 5-2 on Saturday night. Eric Hosmer’s two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth erased an early one run deficit.

The Kansas City Royals finally won their 70th game to improve to 70-65 by winning 5-2 on Saturday night. They remain 8.5 games behind AL Central leading Cleveland. Kansas City stay 4.0 games behind the Orioles for the second AL wild card. The Detroit Tigers dropped to 73-62 and lead the Royals by 3.0 games for second place in the Central.

Coming into Saturday’s game, Kansas City had blown three straight,  one-run games—all of which the KC Royals were favored to win in the late innings.

The Tigers scored the game’s first run on Miguel Cabrera‘s RBI single in the fourth inning. But, Kansas City responded with Eric Hosmer‘s two-run bomb in the bottom of the frame to take a 2-1 lead. Hosmer’s blast was his 20th on the season, which breaks his career high set in his rookie season in 2011.

The Kansas City Royals added a go-ahead run in the fifth on Cheslor Cuthbert‘s RBI single. Raul Mondesi and Jarrod Dyson laid down back-to-back, two-out bunt singles to set the table for Cuthbert. Mondesi and Dyson were the first pair to successfully bunt for two-out hits since Omar Vizquel and Kenny Lofton pulled off the trick for the 2000 Indians.

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KC put the game on ice by taking on two more runs in the bottom of the eighth on Alcides Escobar‘s two out single with the bases loaded.

Meanwhile, starter Yordano Ventura continued his second-half dominance by surviving 6.0 innings while allowing 6 hits, 6 walks, and only 1 earned run with 2 strikeouts. Ventura impressed me by giving up only one run despite lacking reliable command of his pitches all night.

Joakim Soria, Kelvin Herrera pitched scoreless innings in the seventh and the eighth, before Brooks Pounders gave up a solo home run to Ian Kinsler in the ninth. After giving up another single, Wade Davis entered the game to close out the save.

In the end, the KC Royals earned a much-needed win after three damaging losses in a row. According to Fangraphs.com, those losses reduced their playoff odds from 9.9% to 2.9%. It was a nice way to celebrate Salvador Perez bobblehead night at the K.

Next: Royals Need To Stay Hungry For Crucial Series Vs. Tigers

The Royals once again have a mountain to climb to regain the momentum they gained in August.