Detroit Tigers fail to capitalize late, swept in 3-2 loss to Kansas City Royals
Robbie Grossman doubled, advanced to third on a Harold Castro ground out and scored when Miguel Cabrera singled to put the Detroit Tigers on the scoreboard for the first time in 15 innings.
This sequence is what manager AJ Hinch wants to see more often — put the ball in play and good things will happen. Strikeouts, the inability to make contact on fastball offerings and scoring primarily from home runs won't help the team get better.
The Tigers (7-16) scored two runs Monday, but the slumping offense couldn't capitalize in crucial moments for a 3-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park. They stranded 11 runners on the bases, including three combined in the seventh and eighth innings, and went 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Detroit was swept by Kansas City in four games and has lost 10 of its past 11 games.
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Trailing by one run against Royals reliever Scott Barlow in the seventh inning, Grossman and Castro drew back-to-back walks with no outs. But Cabrera, Jeimer Candelario and Willi Castro — the heart of the lineup — each struck out swinging. Cabrera and Candelario went down on sliders, and Castro chased a curveball in the dirt.
In the eighth, Rule 5 draft pick Akil Baddoo crushed a leadoff triple against reliever Greg Holland. Once again, the Tigers failed to score. Niko Goodrum struck out swinging on a slider and pinch-hitter Wilson Ramos disappointed with a ground ball in front of home plate for an easy second out. Victor Reyes struck out swinging on a slider to end the inning.
In the first three battles with the Royals, the Tigers went 13-for-92 (.141) with three runs, four walks and 38 strikeouts. In the finale, Detroit went 9-for-35 (.257) with two runs, five walks and 10 strikeouts. Kansas City scored 15 runs in the series.
Royals righty Brad Keller entered his fifth start with a miserable 16 runs allowed — for a 12.00 ERA — on 22 hits and nine walks through 12 innings. (He gave up five runs in 1⅔ innings to the Tampa Bay Rays in his last outing.) Against the Tigers, Keller looked much better: Six innings, eight hits, two runs, two walks and four strikeouts on 103 pitches.
Up next for the Tigers is a nine-game road trip against the Chicago White Sox (Tuesday-Thursday), New York Yankees (April 30-May 2 Friday-Sunday) and Boston Red Sox (May 4-6). The Tigers have lost nine games in a row against the White Sox. Right-hander Jose Urena is starting Tuesday, opposed by righty Lucas Giolito.
GAME 1: Another weak offensive showing from Tigers in 6-2 loss
GAME 2: Matthew Boyd pitches gem but offense absent in 2-1 loss
GAME 3: Tigers shutout for third time in 4-0 loss, drop fourth game in a row
Spencer Turnbull
As left-hander Daniel Norris warmed up in the bullpen, right-hander Spencer Turnbull was determined to complete the fifth inning. The final two outs were strikeouts — Jorge Soler looking on a 95.2 mph sinker in a 3-2 count and Ryan O'Hearn swinging on a filthy slider in a 1-2 count.
Turnbull was efficient, using 81 pitches (53 strikes) to complete six frames of three-run ball: 16 pitches in the first inning, 11 in the second, 17 in the third, 14 in the fourth, nine in the fifth and 14 in the sixth.
He didn't walk a batter and racked up five strikeouts.
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The Royals scored three runs against Turnbull on five hits. In the third inning, Carlos Santana pummeled a fastball for his fifth home run this season, giving Kansas City an early 2-0 lead. Whit Merrifield tacked the third and final run off Turnbull with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning for a 3-2 edge.
Turnbull got 12 swings-and-misses, doing so with three four-seam fastballs, two sinkers, four sliders and three curveballs. Batters whiffed on three of his 11 curveballs and four of his 18 sliders.
It was his second start this season. He now has a 3.27 ERA.
Missed opportunities
After Cabrera scored Grossman in the third inning, he ended up at third base on a single from Jeimer Candelario. The next batter, Willi Castro, grounded to shortstop for a fielder's choice out.
With runners on the corners, Cabrera didn't need to run home, but he chose to do so. Still, he didn't run on immediate contact, so his poor read on Castro's ground ball — with a 57 mph exit velocity — put him at a disadvantage. Then, he forgot (or just refused) to slide on his way home, and Royals catcher Salvador Perez had no trouble tagging him out on a sharp throw from Nicky Lopez.
Because Cabrera didn't run on contact, he should've just stayed at third base to load the bases. However, after deciding to try to tack on a second run, he needed to slide into home. The 38-year-old's mistake cost the Tigers a chance to take the lead early on.
Baddoo struck out swinging to end the third inning. The 22-year-old went 1-for-4 with one triple and two strikeouts. Cabrera finished 1-for-3 with two walks and one strikeout. His single had a 104.8 mph exit velocity but just a .280 expected batting average, as it snuck underneath the shortstop's glove.
In the fifth inning, Baddoo stranded runners on first and second with two outs. He flied out to center field by swinging at a fastball in a 3-0 count, allowing Keller to get out of trouble unscathed.
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Candelario is the top hitter
As weak as the Tigers' bats were in the series, Candelario was a bright spot, going 6-for-16 (.375) with one double, one walk and five strikeouts. The 27-year-old popped out to left field to end the game with JaCoby Jones, a pinch-runner for Cabrera, on first base.
Candelario picked up two hits Friday, two hits Sunday and two hits Monday. This season, he has a .276 batting average but is still trying to tap into his power-hitting ability.
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Named the 2020 Tiger of the Year, Candelario is by far the most consistent player in the lineup, and has looked comfortable at third base this year.
Evan Petzold is a sports reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers fail to capitalize late, swept in 3-2 loss to Royals
