Three-run sixth inning dooms Kansas City Royals against the Tigers in Detroit
Something about Detroit’s Comerica Park seemed to have had a particularly adverse effect on Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Domingo Tapia.
Prior to his arrival in the Motor City, the right-hander had been lights-out. He hadn’t allowed a run in 11 consecutive appearances, including 13 straight innings. Saturday night, for the second night in a row the Detroit Tigers scored against Tapia.
Unlike the previous night, when he allowed one run, the runs he gave up on Saturday were pivotal. Tapia gave up three runs and the lead in the sixth inning of the Royals 5-1 loss to the Tigers in front of an announced 16,424 in the second game of a three-game series at Comerica Park. He faced four batters and gave up four hits.
“You’re talking a couple jam shots that fell into the right spots,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said of Tapia’s outing. “He has been really, really good for us. He has been the guy we want in those situations to get us out of trouble when that time comes. Unfortunately, it just went to where we were not.”
The teams will play the rubber match of the weekend series on Sunday.
Nicky Lopez, who had his career-best 31-game on-base streak snapped on Friday night, went 2 for 4 with a double for the Royals (70-84). Edward Olivares also had two hits, while Hunter Dozier had a double, a triple and an RBI.
The Royals manufactured the game’s first run without the benefit of a hit in the fifth inning. Carlos Santana drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second base on a passed ball. Adalberto Mondesi’s bunt moved Santana to third base with one out, and Dozier’s sacrifice fly to right field scored Santana from third base.
The Royals were clinging to that 1-0 lead in the sixth after 5 1/3 scoreless innings from rookie starting pitcher Jon Heasley, who made his second major-league start.
Tapia gave up a single to the first batter he faced on a blooper over the head of the shortstop Lopez, but Lopez alertly threw to third base to get the lead runner, who was trying to advance two bases on the play. Upon video review, the runner was called out.
However, Tapia gave up a single to Robbie Grossman to put runners on first and second. Then Miguel Cabrera hit a sinking liner to right field where Dozier made a diving attempt at a catch. The ball hit off the end of Dozier’s glove, but he couldn’t catch it. Two runs scored on the double.
“I got a good jump on it,” Dozier said. “I felt like I had a really good chance of making that play. I’m an aggressive player. I thought I was so close to it that it’s me either try to stop and retreat and you don’t know what’s going to happen then you could always say what if, or just be aggressive and try to make the play.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t make the play. But, I think, looking back, I’m going to try and make that play every time.”
Matheny said he wanted Dozier diving to make that play in that situation.
Dozier missed the cutoff man on his throw home, and the second run scored as the ball bounced toward the plate.
“I was just trying to get the ball in as quick as possible,” Dozier said.
Tapia then gave up an RBI double to Jeimer Candelario, the last of the four batters he faced. Tapia gave up three runs on four hits.
The Royals trailed 3-1 when they put a pair of runners in scoring position with one out in the eighth inning. Whit Merrifield’s walk and Lopez’s double set the table for All-Star Salvador Perez, who is winding down a career-year offensively.
Tigers relief pitcher Kyle Funkhouser froze Perez on a 3-2 slider for a called third strike. Then Andrew Benintendi, having had a tremendously productive month, struck out swinging against Tigers closer Michael Fulmer. Benintendi entered the night hitting .471 (16-for-34) with runners in scoring position since Aug. 20.
The Perez and Benintendi strikeouts stranded two runners in scoring position in a two-run game going into the bottom of the eighth inning.
Cabrera added to the Tigers’ lead with a bases-loaded two-run single in the eighth.
The series concludes Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 11:10 a.m. It’ll mark the first Royals game to start before noon Central Time since Aug. 4, 2016. The pitching matchup features Royals left-hander Kris Bubic (5-6, 4.80) against Tigers right-hander Wily Peralta (4-3, 3.04).
Peralta spent 2018 and part of 2019 with the Royals as a relief pitcher. He appeared in 79 games and recorded 16 saves with a 4.82 ERA in his time with the Royals.
This story was originally published September 25, 2021 at 8:27 PM.
