Bullpen blows Brett Eibner’s big return as Tigers crush Royals 10-4

As returns from an injury go, it would be difficult to top Brett Eibner’s night.

Out since spraining his left ankle on May 31, Eibner drove in two runs, the second on his first major-league home run that staked the Royals to a lead.

But the advantage was short-lived because Royals pitchers wouldn’t keep the ball inside Kauffman Stadium in the Tigers’ 10-4 victory before 33,568 on Thursday.

The Tigers blasted six home runs — three by Victor Martinez — and two in the decisive seventh inning. James McCann opened the inning with a solo shot off Luke Hochevar to make it 4-4.

With two outs, Jose Iglesias singled, and Miguel Cabrera, who had been hitless in his first three plate appearances, went to the opposite field to give the Tigers a 6-4 lead.

More home runs followed, including Martinez’s third. He became the first player to hit three homers against the Royals since the Indians’ Shin-Soo Choo in 2010.

“It doesn’t feel good at all to give up three runs, especially when you have the lead,” Hochevar said. “One unexecuted curve ball to McCann, and then you’re facing Cabrera. You’re not trying to give him anything over the heart of the plate.

“You want to make him hit your pitch. He caught a fast ball down and away, and went the opposite way. He has power to that side of the field.”

The home runs kept coming. The six surrendered by the Royals were the most since a 2007 game against the Athletics and tied a club record for opponents.

For Martinez, it was the second home run game of his career, the first since 2004. Two came from the right side of the plate, his third from the left side. Just like in 2004, against Seattle.

“The only difference was that game I was 5-for-5 with seven RBIs,” Martinez said. “What else do you want to know?”

This time, all three homers were solo shots, and Martinez wound up three RBIs.

The Royals’ five-game winning streak ended. They dropped to 35-31, now half a game out of first place and one game ahead of the Tigers, who improved to 34-32.

The bullpen had set up just as the Royals desired. Starter Danny Duffy was finished after five innings and 88 pitches, turning over a 3-3 tie to a bullpen that entered the game with baseball’s best ERA at 2.59.

Get the game to the bullpen, especially with the lead, and the Royals usually are in good shape. They entered the game with a 28-3 record when leading after six innings, and on this night the lead came courtesy of Eibner.

But his big night was spoiled.

He was a late arrival to the clubhouse after being called up from a rehab assignment Omaha as the Royals optioned Reymond Fuentes to their Class AAA team. But Eibner didn’t miss a beat.

Leading off the fifth, Eibner took Justin Verlander to the deepest part of Kauffman Stadium, just to the right of the center field wall. His first home run traveled 412 feet.

Eibner had gotten off to a torrid start with seven hits in his first 13 at-bats before the injury, and he stayed red hot on his first day back.

As they did for the fourth time in the last five games, the Royals scored in the first inning. Thursday, they got some help from the sun.

After Whit Merrifield singled — the fifth time in seven games batting leadoff he has opened the Royals’ offense with a base hit — Alcides Escboar lifted a fly to the left-field gap. Center fielder Justin Upton got there in time but couldn’t pick up the descent, and the ball dropped to the turf for a double.

Eric Hosmer’s ground out to second scored Merrifield, and Lorenzo Cain blooped a double to right to score Escobar.

Victor Martinez’s laser shot over the left field wall cut the margin, but the Royals scored again in the second, and this one cost the Tigers.

Paulo Orlando lifted a fly to the right field corner. J.D. Martinez couldn’t reach it and hit the wall. Orlando motored into third with his second triple this season, and J.D. Martinez walked off the field.

X-rays revealed a nondisplaced fracture of the radial neck at the right elbow. He chased down the ball and got it back, preventing an inside-the-park home run.

One out later, Orlando crossed home plate when Eibner drilled a single up the middle.

While the Royals were manufacturing, the Tigers were pounding.

Victor Martinez got down in the count 1-2 and fouled off four straight pitches before crushing the next offering deeper than the first one. One batter later, Nick Castellanos went deep and the Tigers had made it 3-3.

It stayed there until Eibner stepped up for a second time and went deep against one of baseball’s top pitchers of the past decade.

Tigers 10, Royals 4

LOB: Detroit 6, Kansas City 7. 2B: Escobar (9), Cain (9). 3B: Orlando (2). HR: V.Martinez (10), off Duffy; V.Martinez (11), off Duffy; Castellanos (13), off Duffy; McCann (4), off Hochevar; Cabrera (13), off Hochevar; V.Martinez (12), off Wang; Eibner (1), off Verlander. RBIs: Kinsler (45), Cabrera 2 (39), V.Martinez 3 (38), Castellanos (39), Upton (23), McCann 2 (18), Hosmer (41), Cain (36), Eibner 2 (4). CS: Cain (4). SF: McCann.

Runners left in scoring position: Detroit 3 (Cabrera 2, Upton); Kansas City 3 (Morales, Cuthbert, Eibner). RISP: Detroit 2 for 7; Kansas City 2 for 8. Runners moved up: Castellanos, Aviles, Hosmer, Orlando. GIDP: Merrifield. DP: Detroit 1 (Verlander, Iglesias, Cabrera).

Holds: Soria (11). Umpires: Home, Angel Hernandez; First, Will Little; Second, Ted Barrett; Third, Gabe Morales. Time: 3:15. Att: 33,568.

AP-WF-06-17-16 0339GMT

This story was originally published June 16, 2016 at 10:45 PM with the headline "Bullpen blows Brett Eibner’s big return as Tigers crush Royals 10-4."