Kansas City closer Wade Davis could be unavailable Sunday as the Royals face the visiting Detroit Tigers in the rubber match of a three-game series, but the veteran has already made his impact felt this weekend.
Advertisement
The Detroit Tigers reached base in every inning but crossed the plate only twice in a 5-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night at Kauffman Stadium.
James McCann’s fielder’s choice ground out in the fourth scored J.D. Martinez, who led off the inning with a double, for the only run Ventura allowed.
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Michael Fulmer throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016, in Kansas City, Mo. San Francisco, trying to catch Los Angeles in the NL West, rebounded from a pair of one-run losses in the first two games of the four-game set against the major league leaders.
Orlando, who snapped an 0 for 17 skid with a single in the seventh, punched a single off Rodriguez to right, scoring Alcides Escobar and Jarrod Dyson.
The Detroit Tigers answered Kansas City’s late rally with another big swing by Justin Upton. Daniel Norris was on the mound, pitching his best game of the year with just three hits allowed and only a solo home run given up.
Ventura allowed six walks, matching his career high, and six hits, but held the Tigers to one run over six innings. The 33-year-old has endured a roller-coaster season, but he’s gone 5-2 with a 4.21 ERA in 12 starts against AL Central opponents.
Ventura pitched around an Andrew Romine leadoff single and a two-out walk to Miguel Cabrera in the third.
“It’s what we all strive for to get better and better each year”, Hosmer said.
Elsewhere, the White Sox ended their four-game losing streak by thumping the Twins 11-4 at Target Field. Manager Ned Yost said he would avoid using Davis in back-to-back games for a while. But let’s just try to see if we can knock out some of that inflammation and make it easier on him.
Tigers shortstop Jose Iglesias, batting second with Cameron Maybin out, is now 23-for-71 (.324) when hitting in that spot in the lineup. RHP Mike Pelfrey (lower back strain) gave up nine hits in 3 1/3 innings in a rehab start Saturday for Triple-A Toledo at Columbus.
Royals: LF Alex Gordon left in the ninth inning with tightness in his right Achilles. “It was more precautionary, more than anything else”, Yost said.
The Royals are still without Lorenzo Cain, who has been out the last few days with a wrist injury.
Royals: RHP Ian Kennedy, who went 3-0 with a 1.86 ERA in August, will start Monday at Minnesota in the opener of a six-game trip. “I could have gotten it a little higher, but it was in”.
Advertisement
Fulmer (10-6) gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings for the Tigers, falling to 1-4 in his past five starts. RAYS 7, BLUE JAYS 5 Matt Duffy’s threerun double highlighted a five-run sixth inning and last-place Tampa Bay beat AL East-leading Toronto for the second straight game.
