DETROIT _ On early Sunday morning, Eric Hosmer pressed through a set of doors and turned to his left, glancing at the Royals' lineup card, tacked on a board in a hallway just outside the visitors clubhouse.
For an extra moment, Hosmer scanned the names before realizing his was not present. As the Royals prepared for their final road game of 2016, Hosmer had an unexpected day off, just his second of the season.
"That doesn't happen often," he said, shrugging his shoulders.
Because Hosmer had started 154 of 155 games, and because the Tigers had lefty Matt Boyd on the mound, and because the Royals had another day off on Monday, Royals manager Ned Yost decided to give Hosmer the day off. The result, in part, was a lineup that seemed suited for spring training _ Whit Merrifield started at first, Billy Burns in center, Raul Mondesi returning to second.
Yet by the end of the day, the patchwork group was the source of an offensive eruption in a 12-9 victory over the Detroit Tigers. The performance featured four homers and propelled Kansas City to a series victory after a furious rally one day earlier. The onslaught negated another volatile performance from starter Edinson Volquez and a shaky day from the bullpen.
As the Royals prepared to leave Detroit on Sunday evening, they stood at 79-77 entering this week's final home stand. They can clinch their fourth straight winning season with three victories this week against the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians.
But first, they spent most of Sunday hammering Tigers starter Matt Boyd and the Tigers' bullpen. Boyd allowed four runs and five hits in the top of the first, his day over without recording an out.
The Royals, in fact, opened the game with their first four batters combining for the cycle for just the second time in club history. Catcher Salvador Perez ignited the power surge, launching a two-run shot to left field, his career high 22nd blast of the year.
After five hitters, this much was clear: Boyd was eminently hittable. The rest of the Tigers' staff wasn't much better.
Cheslor Cuthbert and Raul Mondesi roped back-to-back homers in the third inning off reliever Anibal Sanchez, stretching the lead to 7-0. Alex Gordon barreled up a baseball in the top of the sixth, depositing a two-run blast into the seats in right field. The homer soared 422 feet and represented Gordon's 17th of the year. At that moment, the lead was 11-5.
The insurance runs helped cover for a Royals staff that never found solid ground. Volquez, who was making his penultimate start of the season, lasted just 2 2/3 innings, and he allowed a grand slam to Victor Martinez in the bottom of the third, slicing the lead to 7-4. Moments later, he had loaded the bases again as Yost emerged from the dugout.
Yost called for right-hander Peter Moylan to face shortstop Andrew Romine. On the first pitch, Romine inexplicably squared to bunt, and Moylan ended the threat with a force-out at home.
From there, Dillon Gee allowed two runs in 2 2/3 innings. Joakim Soria allowed a solo homer to Justin Upton in the seventh. Kelvin Herrera was nicked for two runs in the eighth, allowing the tying runner to reach the plate.
And yet, the Royals held on. By the late afternoon, after nearly four hours of baseball, they had concluded their 81-game road schedule with a 34-47 record. For one Sunday afternoon, an offense that so often struggled away from Kauffman Stadium bashed out 19 hits and 12 runs.
That was enough.
