Losing series opener to Detroit Tigers, KC Royals drop 4th straight after 2-0 start
In the key moments Thursday night, when the Kansas City Royals needed to generate offense, they came up short. And those missed opportunities were haunting in a game decided by just two runs.
The Royals stranded eight men on base and went 2 for 9 with runners in scoring position in losing 4-2 to the Detroit Tigers in the first game of a four-game set in front of an announced 9,595 at Kauffman Stadium.
The Royals have now lost four in a row since winning their first two games of the season.
Two of their best scoring chances came in the first two innings, when they put runners on third base with one out or none away and left empty-handed.
“Those were our chances early,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “Really, after the fourth there wasn’t a lot going on.
“Two opportunities that we let slip by. We continue to talk about them, but it’s a whole lot easier to talk about than it is to get it done. A couple guys that we have a lot of faith will get it done more often than not.”
Royals designated hitter Hunter Dozier had three hits, including a triple. Right fielder Whit Merrifield had a hit, an RBI, a stolen base and threw out a runner at home plate. Adalberto Mondesi stole two bases and Bobby Witt Jr. tripled.
In the first, Witt’s triple put him 90 feet away from scoring with one out. However, Andrew Benintendi hit a check-swing grounder to third with Witt running on contact. Witt kept the play alive long enough for Benintendi to advance to second base before Witt was tagged out.
“No harm, no foul in that particular situation,” Matheny said in characterizing the play. “That’s exactly what we need him to do.”
Salvador Perez’s fly ball ended the inning with Benintendi still on second base.
Then, in the second, the Royals got their first two batters on base with a Carlos Santana walk and a Dozier single. Mondesi bunted into a fielder’s choice that left runners on the corners with one out, but a Michael A. Taylor strikeout and a Nicky Lopez grounder ended the inning.
“I don’t think we need to make changes,” Dozier said. “Our lineup is really good. … We’re going to get the job done, in my opinion, most of the time. We’ve just got to keep working, definitely in those situations, to find a way to get the guy over or get him in. Maybe not try to do too much, but we’ll be fine.”
Royals starting pitcher Zack Greinke gave up two runs on five hits and one walk in 5 1/3 innings. He did not factor into the pitching decision. The score was knotted at 2-2 when he left the game.
The Royals tied it at 2 in the fourth against Tigers starter Casey Mize. Dozier lined a one-out triple to center field that glanced off the glove of Baddoo. Then Mondesi drew a walk and stole second base.
With runners on second and third with one out, Taylor’s grounder to third ate up Jeimer Candelario and Dozier scored from third to give the Royals their first run. Two batters later, Merrifield smacked a two-out RBI single to left-center, driving in Mondesi.
“He pitched into trouble and out of trouble,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said of Mize. “They nicked him for a couple, but he kind of hung in there mental, which is important.
“This (the Royals) is a team that puts pressure on you. They run the bases, they play defense, they do a lot of things to keep games close. That’s why we always play close games with these guys. Casey not caving in the big inning, and getting some big outs to end innings was really critical for him. It was a grind for him, and you’re going to have games like that, especially against good teams.”
The Tigers scored two runs against reliever Jake Brentz with two outs in the seventh to swing the game in their favor. Brentz issued a one-out walk to Spencer Torkelson and then three consecutive singles with two outs as the Tigers grabbed a 4-2 advantage.
Pinch-hitter Eric Haase started the rally with a single to left field. Then Victor Reyes’ single up the middle gave the Tigers a lead. Austin Meadows tacked on the insurance run with the third single.
“The only pitch I regret was the Haase slider I left up in the zone,” Brentz said. “But other than that, the two-seamer to Reyes we were going down and away. I went down and away, and he put a good swing on it. That’s going to happen. Overall, I felt really good tonight. I’m just going to keep plugging away and learn on each outing.”
This story was originally published April 14, 2022 at 10:30 PM.
