DETROIT _ A mantra bearing an acute resemblance to the Royals' 2015 postseason slogan has recently taken over the Royals dugout.
"Keep getting on until we get guys in."
The words originated from hitting coach Terry Bradshaw. He sought to put a positive spin on the Royals' early offensive woes: Through 19 games the Royals had stranded 139 men on base.
The number itself wasn't earth-shattering. It ranked 17th in baseball.
But for a team such as the Royals, which entered Sunday's series finale with the Tigers at Comerica Park batting .219 with runners on base, the number loomed over a 4-15 start. It was the key component in their being outscored 107-60.
The Royals figured Bradshaw's words would take hold eventually if they just continued to follow them.
Sunday became that day. The Royals beat the Tigers 8-5, due in part to Mike Moustakas' three-run homer in the seventh that provided the final score.
But outfielder Abraham Almonte's two-out grand slam in the sixth inning gave the Royals their first lead of the game.
Although the Tigers tied the game with three runs in the fifth _ two off Royals starter Eric Skoglund and one off reliever Kevin McCarthy _ the Royals battled back in the seventh inning.
Before that, Whit Merrifield led off the fifth with a homer that ended Tigers starter Francisco Liriano's bid for a no-hitter. Cheslor Cuthbert followed him with a double; eventually Jorge Soler and Paulo Orlando drew back-to-back walks with two outs.
Then Almonte strode to the plate. He launched the second pitch he saw from Tigers reliever Alex Wilson 425 feet to right field. It was the Royals' first bases-loaded hit in 16 such at-bats this season.
And it absolved Skoglund's early mistakes. The left-hander had settled down after laboring through a two-run first inning, but the Royals offense couldn't solve Liriano through five hitless innings.
Reliever Brian Flynn, who pitched two scoreless innings, earned his first hold of the season. The Royals improved to 5-15.
They return to Kansas City, where they will host former teammate Lorenzo Cain and the Milwaukee Brewers beginning Tuesday night.
