Royals’ power surge continues in sixth straight victory

By late Monday night, the message had filtered through the visitors clubhouse here at Comerica Park. Its power reverberated across the room. The meaning was already clear.

“This team’s in it,” Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas said.

In the moments after a 5-3 victory in 12 innings over the Detroit Tigers, after the bullpen had offered 6  1/3 scoreless innings, the offense had bashed three more homers and the Royals had crafted their sixth straight victory — matching the longest streak of the year — Moustakas appeared on the far side of the room.

Just 25 minutes earlier, he had launched his 29th homer in the top of the 12th against Tigers reliever Drew VerHagen, following up a tie-breaking solo shot from Salvador Perez. The back-to-back blasts gave the Royals 12 homers in three games and another victory on the first night of a nine-game road trip through Detroit, Boston and Baltimore. Yet, as Moustakas considered the performance, the day’s most crucial win may have come in the hours before the first pitch.

As the Royals returned to the clubhouse following batting practice, the front office finalized a sprawling six-player trade to reinforce the starting rotation and offer depth to the bullpen. Inside the clubhouse, the news did not surprise Moustakas. All summer, he said, the players had listened as general manager Dayton Moore expressed faith in this team. They understood he would not sell. They understood that a championship core — and a group of potential free agents — would get one more chance to chase a dream.

And then this: On Monday evening, Moore’s faith translated into a deal for three pitchers from the San Diego Padres — starter Trevor Cahill and relievers Brandon Maurer and Ryan Buchter.

“We’re in it,” Moustakas said, echoing his general manager. “We’re going to go out there and try to win a World Series.”

To execute the deal, the Royals parted ways with left-handed pitchers Travis Wood and Matt Strahm and minor-league infielder Esteury Ruiz. The price was not nothing. The departures of two teammates put a mild damper on the evening. Yet that feeling could not overshadow the swelling confidence inside the room.

“We’re trying to do something special here,” said starter Jason Hammel, who allowed three runs in 5  2/3 innings. “The front office is doing whatever it can that they think will help. … It’s a commitment to winning.

“It takes the question out of your mind: Not that we pay attention to the whole ‘sellers’ or ‘buyers,’ but it lets you know they’re committed in this run.”

This run seems plausible now, of course. The Royals are 41-27 since a 10-20 nightmare in April. They survived another cold stretch earlier this month. On Monday, they defeated Detroit starter Justin Verlander and remained in position for the second American League Wild Card spot.

They would like to do more, of course. Cahill will join a rotation with an established front four, offering a full-time replacement for the injured Nathan Karns. Maurer and Buchter will add power and versatility to a bullpen that has bolstered its rep in July.

On Monday, the relief corps entered the day with a 3.03 ERA since June 1, the second best in the American League in that span. In the month of July, the number was lowered to 2.19. Here at Comerica Park, the unit held the fort for one more night.

“It’s kind of what we’re used to now,” Moustakas said.

Peter Moylan worked 1  1/3 innings in the sixth and seventh, logging his 13th straight scoreless outing. Joakim Soria struck out two during a clean eighth. Neftali Feliz pitched a scoreless ninth before Kevin McCarthy handled the heart of the Tigers’ order — including a matchup with Miguel Cabrera with two men on — in the bottom of the 10th. Rookie Jakob Junis earned the victory with a clean inning in the 11th. Closer Kelvin Herrera notched his 20th save.

“We’ve got a really good bullpen now,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “And I think we’re going to have a great one.”

As the series began, the only wobble came when left-handed reliever Scott Alexander allowed a two-run, game-tying single to Detroit’s Alex Avila in the bottom of the sixth, allowing two inherited runners to score. The Tigers scored three times in the inning, tying the score at 3-3. All three runs were charged to Hammel, who drew a no-decision after another solid performance.

“Probably the best my sinker has ever been,” he said.

The Royals had staked him to a 3-0 lead with two runs against Verlander in the fourth inning and a solo homer by rookie Jorge Bonifacio in the top of the sixth. For Bonifacio, it represented his third homer in three days and his 14th of the season. He finished the night 3 for 5 with three runs scored.

The Tigers struck back against Hammel in the sixth, sandwiching two singles around a walk and busting the shutout. Moments later, Yost summoned Alexander to face switch-hitter Victor Martinez with two outs, forcing Martinez to hit from the right side. Alexander walked Martinez before allowing a single to Avila after being ahead 0-2.

“Those are the kind of decisions,” Yost said, “if you leave Hammel in and they get a base hit, you’re kicking yourself. If you don’t, and they get a base hit, you’re kicking yourself for not leaving him in. It was one of those.”

Moylan replaced Alexander and kept the score tied at 3-3. The bullpen seized control for the rest of the night, suffocating the Tigers’ offense before Perez and Moustakas punished mistakes in the 12th.

“I had seen the curveball he threw me earlier in the at-bat,” Moustakas said. “It was a big loopy breaking one. I just had to wait for it to come down.”

Moustakas finished the night just seven homers short of tying Steve Balboni’s club record. Barring an injury, he will likely smash it. But for one night, that was an afterthought.

By late Monday, rap music was playing again in the visitors clubhouse. The Royals were four games over .500 for the second time this season. Another victory was secure. It had come in the early evening and invigorated a clubhouse. It had led to another in 12 innings.

“We’ve been saying it all year,” Moustakas said, standing near his locker. “And our goal is to go out there and try to win a World Series.”

Royals 5, Tigers 3, 12 inn.

This story was originally published July 24, 2017 at 10:17 PM with the headline "Royals’ power surge continues in sixth straight victory."