KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Tigers didn't quit fighting Saturday. They just ran out of comebacks.
The Royals evened the series and snapped the Tigers’ four-game win streak with a 7-5 victory at Kauffman Stadium.
On Friday night, Miguel Cabrera's dramatic two-out grand slam in the seventh inning erased a two-run deficit and sent the Tigers to a 7-5 win.
In this one, Cabrera again came to bat with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh inning. This time the deficit was three. Lightning did not strike twice. Cabrera took a called third strike from reliever Scott Barlow.
Barlow, who took over for starter Brady Singer, got Jeimer Candelario looking at a called third in the previous at-bat.
Clutch work by the veteran right-hander.
The Tigers didn't fold. Down 7-3 in the ninth, Robbie Grossman cut the deficit in half with a two-run homer. And after a single by Harold Castro, a nine-pitch walk by Candelario and a one-out single by Niko Goodrum, the bases were loaded.
But reliever Josh Staumont, who threw 36 pitches in the inning, didn't allow any more damage. He struck out Jonathan Schoop, getting a called third strike on a borderline 3-2 pitch, and Willi Castro to end the game.
It was a wobbly outing by starter Matthew Boyd, who yielded five runs in five innings despite not giving up very much hard contact. The average exit velocity on 18 balls put in play by the Royals was a meek 81.9 mph.
But the balls had eyes, especially two hit by left-handed hitting Andrew Benintendi. He knocked in two runs in the first inning with an opposite-field shot (after falling into an 0-2 hole) and then, with a runner on third and two outs in the sixth, he rolled one between the Castros — shortstop Harold Castro and second baseman Willi Castro — to plate the run.
Boyd should never have been in such a jam. Carlos Santana led off with a single, then advanced to second on a fly ball to center. Rookie Akil Baddoo caught the ball on his heels and wasn't in position to make a strong throw to second.
The Tigers then gave Santana another free 90 feet on a ball that skipped past catcher Wilson Ramos.
Boyd got Salvador Perez to pop out, struck out Jorge Soler and was within a strike of getting Benintendi before his RBI infield roller.
The inning got even more frustrating for Boyd when he walked the next two hitters, both on close pitches, to load the bases. But Boyd didn’t crack.
After a visit from pitching coach Chris Fetter, he ended the inning, and his outing, by getting Hanser Alberto to pop out, leaving the Tigers’ deficit at a manageable two runs, 5-3.
But, unlike the last two games, they couldn’t flip the script.
The Royals tacked on a run in the sixth off reliever Kyle Funkhouser and another off Joe Jimenez in the seventh. The second one was a gift. Benintendi, who else, walked. Then he stole second uncontested. Nobody covered second and Ramos didn’t make a throw.
Benintendi advanced another 90 feet to third base when Ramos couldn’t pick up a ball he blocked in the dirt. He sprinted home on ground ball to Harold Castro at short, who didn’t have a play at the plate even though he was playing in on the grass.
Baddoo had an active day at the plate, with a career-high three hits and a walk.
He ladled a two-out, two-run opposite-field single in the second inning. He also put the Tigers in position to tie the game in the fifth. His double sent Ramos to third with no outs. One out later, Harold Castro singled Ramos home to make it 4-3.
But Singer struck out Candelario and got Cabrera to ground into a force out.
