Detroit Tigers: Royals crush Tigers once again, 15-7

Aerosmith has a song called “Same Old Song and Dance”, which seems quite fitting for the Detroit Tigers this week.

Losing 10 of the last 12 games is bad enough, but the Tigers allowed more than 10 runs for the third time in five games on Thursday, falling to the Kansas City Royals, 15-7.

Left-hander Matt Boyd started, but he didn’t record an out in the second inning. He allowed six runs on seven hits and walked two, throwing 50 pitches in 1+ inning. His final pitch was a ball Royals center fielder Lorenzo Cain hit high into the sky, and it had enough to carry out of the park for a three-run shot. It was the seventh home run Boyd has allowed in 31 innings as a member of the Tigers.

To Detroit’s credit, though, they did not quit. After leading, 3-0, at the end of the top of the first, and then quickly trailing, 6-3, at the end of the second, the Tigers players could have packed it in, but they did not.

Detroit registered three consecutive weakly hit bloopers in the third to score three runs and tie the game at six. Left-hander Kyle Ryan relieved Boyd in the first and was pretty solid. Ryan yielded three runs on seven hits in his 4 2/3 frames. Al Alburquerque came in to record the final out of the sixth inning, and at that point, the Tigers trailed, 9-6.

That is where the game went completely south. Detroit scored a run in the top of the seventh, but then the Royals answered with six runs, which was capped off by a Paulo Orlando two-run shot. Alburquerque, who was obviously rusty from not pitching in over a week, was charged with four of the runs, and left-hander Tom Gorzelanny was tagged with the other two.

Kansas City finished with 20 hits, 15 of which came from the top five hitters in the order. Second baseman Ben Zobrist was 4-for-6 with two RBI and three runs. Designated hitter Kendrys Morales went 4-for-5 with four RBI and three runs. First baseman Eric Hosmer was 3-for-4 with a walk, RBI and run while Cain went 2-for-4 with the three-run homer and three runs.

On the bright side, Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera was 2-for-4 to raise his season batting average to .361, and third baseman Nick Castellanos was 3-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored. Castellanos is hitting .305 since Aug. 4.

It wasn’t as great, however, for shortstop Jose Iglesias, who left the game after getting hit in the hand on a bunt attempt in the third inning. Luckily, x-rays were negative according to FOX Sports Detroit and showed he only had a few bruised fingers.

The Tigers should be happy to head home for a series against the Cleveland Indians this weekend after a tough road trip. Detroit went 1-5 on the trip to Toronto and Kansas City, allowing an average of 10.2 runs per game.

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