DETROIT — It’s almost like it’s personal.
The Tigers didn’t draft Royals starter Brady Singer with the first overall pick in 2018. They took Casey Mize. Seventeen teams ended up passing on Singer until the Royals grabbed him with the 18th overall pick. But it seems like he’s punished the Tigers more than the others since.
Singer outdueled Tigers starter Matthew Boyd Saturday, giving up only a solo home run to Willi Castro in the Royals' 2-1 victory at Comerica Park.
Singer, who allowed three hits in seven innings, has now beaten the Tigers three times in four starts, allowing just four runs in 25 innings.
The Tigers have lost eight of their last nine games and are averaging less than two runs over that span. Singer, who struck out the top three hitters in the Tigers order in a row twice, ended up with eight punch-outs.
In the last nine games, the Tigers have struck out 89 times.
Wasted was a brilliant outing by Boyd, who spun his fourth quality start, allowing two runs through eight innings. He was perfect through the first four. In fact, he was perfect in every inning except the fifth when the Royals collected all three of their hits.
Only one of the two runs was earned, though.
Jorge Soler led off with a double. Boyd had gotten ahead of him with change-ups. But the fourth change-up, on a 2-2 count, proved one too many. With one out, Hanser Alberto singled Soler to third. Soler ended up scoring on a fielder’s choice groundout by Andrew Benintendi. First baseman Jonathan Schoop threw to second to get a force on Alberto.
With two outs, Michael A. Taylor singled to right. Victor Reyes ill-advisedly tried to throw Benintendi out at third. Reyes’ throw caromed off Benintendi, allowing him to score.
It shouldn't have been enough to beat him. Boyd only struck out three but he induced mostly soft contact with his four-seam fastball (average exit velocity of 87 mph on 10 balls put in play), change-up (81 mph on 10 put in play) and his slider (77 mph on three put in play).
He needed just 89 pitches to get through eight innings. He lowered his ERA on the season to 1.82.
Castro, who celebrated his 24th birthday on Saturday, lined a slider into the right field seats for his first home run of the season.
Royals right-handers Scott Barlow (eighth) and Josh Staumont (ninth) finished the Tigers off with six straight outs.
