Detroit Tigers’ hopes of snapping their losing streak were dashed on Friday as they fell 8-0 to the Kansas City Royals. Seth Lugo, the Royals’ starting pitcher, delivered a dominant performance, pitching seven scoreless innings while striking out nine batters.
The Tigers’ offense struggled to generate any momentum against Lugo, managing only three singles off the right-hander. Reese Olson, Detroit’s starter, also pitched well, allowing just one run on three hits and three walks in seven innings. However, the Royals’ offense exploded in the ninth inning, scoring seven runs to secure the victory.
With one out in the third inning, Adam Frazier and Kyle Isbel singled to put runners on first and second. Maikel Garcia then walked to load the bases, setting the stage for Bobby Witt Jr.’s sacrifice fly to center field, giving the Royals a 1-0 lead.
In the bottom of the third, the Tigers thought they had taken the lead when Parker Meadows hit a deep drive to right field. However, Frazier made a spectacular over-the-fence catch to rob Meadows of a home run and double Javier Báez off first base.
The Royals continued to threaten in the eighth inning, loading the bases with two outs against former teammate John Schreiber. However, Schreiber struck out Spencer Torkelson to end the inning.
In the ninth inning, the Royals’ offense finally broke through. With one out, Frazier and Isbel singled off Tyler Holton. Garcia then walked to load the bases, and Holton hit Frazier and Isbel with consecutive pitches to make it 3-0. Will Vest replaced Holton on the mound, but he was greeted by a two-run single from Garcia. Witt followed with a triple, and Vinnie Pasquantino’s sacrifice fly capped the scoring at 8-0.
The Royals’ victory extended their winning streak to four games, while the Tigers’ losing streak reached five. The two teams will face off again on Saturday evening, with Casey Mize scheduled to start for Detroit and Brady Singer taking the mound for Kansas City.
