DETROIT _ The Royals hung around, scratched, clawed and kept creating chances to escape with a win on Sunday in Detroit.
They even got a clutch home run from Hunter Dozier that helped push the game into extra innings.
But Tigers outfielder Brandon Dixon, who had entered the game as a substitution, hit a walk-off home run against the pitcher who had been the Royals' most reliable reliever.
Dixon's three-run homer off Royals right-hander Ian Kennedy with two outs and two strikes in the bottom of the 10th sent the Royals out of town having dropped the rubber match of their three-game set 5-2 in front of an announced 16,369 at Comerica Park.
"I don't even know the last time I gave up a home run on a curveball," Kennedy said. "The only reason I threw that pitch was to get him off the fastball, at least change his timing up a little bit because he kept fouling so many off."
Kennedy gave up a pair of softly hit infield singles to third base. The first one, down the line, got caught in rookie third baseman Kelvin Gutierrez's glove as he tried to make the exchange to his throwing hand on the run. He held onto it instead of risking a throwing error.
The second one came on a slow roller by Niko Goodrum that Gutierrez tried to barehand, but couldn't grab cleanly.
"I feel like I just threw one bad pitch, that last curveball," Kennedy said. "A guy hit it off the end of the bat, (Nicholas) Castellanos. Got through the heart of the lineup. Yeah, it's a tough one. They were hitting it just soft enough or just on the line enough to get base hits."
Kennedy's last appearance came in a two-inning save on Wednesday against Tampa Bay. He'd allowed two earned runs in 15 2/3 innings out of the bullpen this season.
Until the homer by Dixon, the Royals bullpen contingent of Scott Barlow, Jake Diekman, Brad Boxberger and Kennedy had gone 4 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of starter Brad Keller.
"Any way is a tough way to lose," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Ian is battling out there, gives up two infield hits. Just elevated a curveball. He pitched great. The bullpen pitched great."
Tigers starter Spencer Turnbull tossed cold water on what had been a blazing-hot Royals offense that scored 15 runs in Saturday's win.
Turnbull had allowed just one earned run in his previous three starts, and Sunday he held the Royals to one run, six hits and one walk in seven innings. He struck out seven.
The two teams were never separated by more than a run until the final swing.
With the score tied at 1 in the fifth, the Tigers took advantage of a pair of walks by Keller to start the inning. After Nicholas Castellanos' fly ball allowed lead runner JaCoby Jones to tag and advance to third, Miguel Cabrera singled up the middle on a ground ball that just got past the dive of Royals shortstop Adalberto Mondesi.
Cabrera's RBI single also set the stage for an abnormal inning-ending double play.
Goodrum's soft liner to second baseman Whit Merrifield resulted in confusion as Merrifield dropped the ball and threw to third base, where Mondesi _ the Royals were in the shift _ tagged the lead runner.
The umpires ruled the batter out on the infield fly, but the call came late and the lead runner was caught trying to advance to third while Cabrera never left first base. By virtue of Mondesi having applied the tag at third on the lead runner, it was ruled a double play, which got Keller out of the inning.
"When it happens," Merrifield said of an infield fly, "if you're not really focused on the situation it can cause a panic if you see the ball drop. That's kind of the goal, and that's what happened."
Keller left with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth inning. He'd battled command throughout the game as evident by his five walks _ he's now walked 15 batters in his last four starts (21 2/3 innings) _ and handed it over to the bullpen. Barlow struck out back-to-back batters to end the inning.
Barlow's performance proved critical to giving the Royals a chance to win. He struck out three and didn't allow a runner in 1 2/3 innings.
The margin remained one run until the eighth inning when Dozier poked an opposite field solo home run down the right-field line, his eighth homer of the season. Dozier, who entered the game leading the American League in batting average and OPS, moved back into a tie with Jorge Soler for the team lead in home runs.
The Royals put two men on in the ninth with two outs and Tigers closer Shane Greene on the mound thanks to a throwing error that allowed Cam Gallagher to reach on a ground ball to the shortstop and a walk drawn by Billy Hamilton. However, they couldn't push the go-ahead run across.
"Big hit by Doze. Big hit the opposite way," Yost said. "We had other opportunities to pick up a run here, pick up a run there. We just couldn't capitalize. Their pitching did a good job too."
The Royals must continue their road trip and begin a three-game series in Houston against the Astros on Monday night.
