Detroit Tigers lose despite outstanding performance from Reyes

The Detroit Tigers opened a three-game series in Kansas City tonight against the Royals and lost despite a strong performance from Victor Reyes.

The Detroit Tigers couldn’t get the win in a close game tonight against the Kansas City Royals on the road. The first game of a three-game series had plenty of action, however, and great performances from players on both sides.

The game got off to a slow start for the first couple of innings and then in the third the Tigers scored one and the Royals struck back in the bottom half for three. The Tigers closed the gap in the seventh inning and took the lead in the eighth, but the Royals came back to take the lead in the bottom of the eighth once again. In the ninth, the Tigers tied it and almost took the lead, but Harold Castro was thrown out at a close play at the plate. The Royals would walk it off with a home run in the bottom of the ninth to win 6-5.

Two young players really highlighted the Tigers’ offensive performance. Victor Reyes went four-for-five with a run and an RBI. Reyes has been extremely hot lately and showed no signs of cooling off tonight. Grayson Greiner also made his first appearance in Detroit after doing some time in the minors and showed up in a big way. He went three-for-four with a run and an RBI on the night. This is a welcoming sign as the Tigers desperately need a consistent catcher.

Detroit’s pitching wasn’t quite up to the task tonight. Daniel Norris was on limited innings but still gave up three runs in the final inning he pitched. The bullpen did a decent job, but Jose Cisnero and Zac Reininger both gave up late-inning runs that ended up costing Detroit the game. The one bright spot for Detroit’s pitching was Drew VerHagen, who did an excellent job relieving Norris and only allowed one run over 4.1 innings with six strikeouts.

The series continues tomorrow night at 8:15 p.m. EST and Detroit will start Edwin Jackson. Jackson’s last two starts have been nothing short of horrific, so he will be looking to turn it around. Perhaps a low stakes game against the Royals will be the perfect thing to get him back on track.