Royals Report: KC Hangs On To Win 12-9 Slugfest Against Detroit

The Royals won their second straight game over the Detroit Tigers, taking a 12-9 slugfest. Kansas City has acted as a spoiler for the Tigers’ playoff hopes by take two out of three games at Comerica Park.

The Kansas City Royals improved to 79-77 on the season with Sunday’s 12-9 victory. With the Orioles six games ahead with six games to play, and trailing four other teams in the wild card race, KC’s playoff chances are pretty much dead. The Tigers fell 1.5 games behind Baltimore for the second AL wild card position.

The Royals opened the game by hanging four runs on Detroit starter Matt Boyd. Billy Burns started the rally with a single. Whit Merrifield followed with a triple. Kendrys Morales doubled, and Paulo Orlando homered to put KC up 4-0.

Former Kansas City farmhand Blaine Hardy then relieved Boyd, who didn’t even record an out.

The Royals struck again for three runs in the third inning. Paulo Orlando led off the frame with a single. Hardy appeared he would escape the inning when he struck out Alex Gordon and Alcides Escobar. But, he then gave up back-to-back home runs to Cheslor Cuthbert (11) and Raul Mondesi (2).

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At this point, Kansas City led 7-0 and looked to be headed for an easy win. Not so fast.

Edinson Volquez gave up a grand slam to Victor Martinez in the bottom of the third. That blast put the Tigers back in the game at 7-4. Volquez didn’t survive the third, with Dillon Gee coming on in relief to record the final out of the inning.

KC responded by scoring a pair of runs off reliever Shane Greene on an RBI single from Kendrys Morales and a double from Alex Gordon. But, the Tigers came back with a triple from Cameron Maybin and an RBI grounder from Miguel Cabrera to make the tally 9-5.

In the top of the sixth, Alex Gordon slammed his 17th home run of the season to plate two more scores. The blast put Kansas City back in clear control at 11-5, but the Tigers countered by loading the bases against Dillon Gee. Brian Flynn relieved Gee, and allowed a run to score on a wild pitch. Flynn then retired the side by getting  J.D. Martinez on a pop fly to second.

Joakim Soria relieved Flynn in the seventh and promptly gave up a solo home run to Justin Upton, which allowed Detroit to pull to 11-7. Kelvin Herrera came on in the eighth and allowed two more scores on a sacrifice fly to J.D. Martinez and a wild pitch.

The KC Royals added an insurance run in the top of the ninth on Raul Mondesi’s single to right to go ahead 12-9. Wade Davis closed out the game to earn his 26th save.

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Amazingly, the Royals emerged victorious from a slugfest in Detroit. Too bad it’s too little, too late.