KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ The Royals got plenty of guys a chance to get their feet wet in a major-league game on Thursday, but they just didn't get the series sweep over the division rival Detroit Tigers in the final game of their 10-game homestand.
The winning run came to the plate in the ninth inning in the form of Royals single-season home run king Jorge Soler with two outs, but Soler struck out swinging and flung his bat into the stands in the process as the Royals fell 6-4 to the Tigers in front of an announced 14,736 at Kauffman Stadium on Thursday afternoon.
The loss snapped a four-game win streak for the Royals, which was tied for their longest streak of the season and longest win streak at home this year. They wrapped up their longest homestand of the season having gone 5-5.
Royals outfielder Hunter Dozier had three hits and reached base four times. Whit Merrifield, who entered the day tied for the major-league lead in hits (177), went 4 for 5 with two RBIs and a run scored.
With two more major-league debuts on Thursday, the Royals have now had 13 players play in the big leagues for the first time over the course of this season. The last time the Royals had more than 11 debuts was in 2011, when they had 12.
First baseman/outfielder Ryan McBroom debuted on Tuesday. Outfielder/infielder Erick Mejia and left-handed pitcher Gabe Speier both made their first appearance in the majors on Thursday.
Royals starting pitcher Glenn Sparkman didn't last through the first five innings for his third consecutive start. He allowed four runs on seven hits _ including three home runs _ in four innings. He didn't walk a batter and struck out two in his shortest outing since he started and went just three innings in a loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on July 1.
Sparkman (3-11) left the game with the Tigers leading 4-3.
Heath Fillmyer, who the Royals recalled prior to Tuesday's game, pitched a scoreless inning in relief of Sparkman. Josh Staumont gave up two runs on three hits and a walk as the Tigers expanded their lead to 6-3.
Speier also pitched a scoreless inning out of the bullpen in his debut, and Jesse Hahn pitched in a major-league game for the first time since an appearance as a member of the Oakland Athletics in Houston on June 28, 2017. Hahn retired the side in order, including a pair of strikeouts.
The Royals scored a run on an RBI fielder's choice by Cheslor Cuthbert in the eighth inning, and Jacob Barnes also retired the side in order in the ninth. However, the Royals offense couldn't get
The Royals begin a six-game road trip on Friday. They'll start a three-game series against the Miami Marlins. Royals right-hander Jorge Lopez (2-7, 6.61) gets the start opposite of Miami right-hander Pablo Lopez (5-7, 4.89) in the series opener.
