Javier Báez's three-run double in 10th lifts Detroit Tigers to 8-5 win over Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals traded jabs multiple times in Monday's series opener at Kauffman Stadium.

The Tigers punched first from the onset of the game, only for the Royals to punch back almost immediately, and when the Tigers answered, the Royals didn't wait too long for their counter attack. A back-and-forth melee between the American League Central opponents ended in the 10th inning.

Javier Báez cleared the bases, driving in three runs with a one-out double to left field off Scott Barlow's first-pitch fastball in the top of the 10th, and right-handed reliever José Cisnero stranded two runners to slam the door on the Royals in the bottom of the 10th.

The Tigers won, 8-5.

"To be honest, it's the best feeling in the world," Báez said. "I'm just happy that I got good contact and got the win for my team. With the bases loaded, they don't want to throw ball one, so I was ready. I was trying to be on time and get a good pitch to hit."

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The Tigers (21-24) struggled to get the key hit in the critical situations in the late innings until Báez's clutch double. Detroit finished 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position and stranded 12 runners.

A perfect example: The Tigers loaded bases in the bottom of the sixth inning, thanks to walks from Zack Short, Zach McKinstry and Spencer Torkelson. But Andy Ibáñez — a right-handed hitter who entered Monday in an 0-for-20 slump — grounded into a forceout against righty reliever Jose Cuas and stranded the runners.

Ibáñez replaced left-handed hitter Nick Maton as a pinch-hitter to face lefty reliever Josh Taylor with two outs and a runner on first base in the fourth inning. He struck out swinging.

"I know we stranded a lot of runners," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said, "but tonight, I can say that we put some really good swings with runners in scoring position that we didn't need to hit to Jackie Bradley Jr. He ran both those balls down. That could have been a lot different game."

In the seventh inning, Royals center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. robbed Short of an extra-base hit, which would have scored the runner from third base, with an incredible catch in right-center field. He also robbed Torkelson of extra bases (and the Tigers of at least one run) in the second inning with a superb catch in right-center field.

Matt Vierling finished 3-for-4 with four RBIs, a home run, a walk and a strikeout. He drew the walk in the top of the ninth inning against Barlow. With two outs, though, Eric Haase struck out swinging to strand Vierling at first base.

Right-handed reliever Alex Lange, the de facto closer, took the mound for the Tigers in the bottom of the ninth inning for his second inning of work. He walked the first batter but retired the next three to send the game to extra innings, tied 5-5.

Lange threw 28 pitches in two scoreless innings.

"I came off the mound and wasn't expecting another (inning)," Lange said. "Of course, you always want another one. He's like, 'How do you feel?' I was like, 'I got another one in there. Whatever you need.'"

In the top of the 10th, Haase started at second base as the free runner in extra innings. Short (walk) and Greene (single) reached safely to load the bases for Báez in the biggest moment of the game.

And he delivered.

"He's just worried about seeing the ball and getting good pitches to hit, and the results are going to be what they are," Hinch said. "I think his reaction and his temperament during this has been very steady. ... I think Javy has been as even-keel as he's been in the two years I've had him at not getting those hits and not getting those pitches and staying very, very disciplined to still have good at-bats."

First five for Tigers

For some reason, Royals right-hander Brady Singer — the 2018 No. 18 overall pick — hasn't been the same pitcher compared to last season. Opponents are hitting him harder and more often than almost any other pitcher.

The Tigers followed the trend.

In the first inning, the Tigers scored three runs on three singles and two walks. Akil Baddoo worked a bases-loaded walk, while Vierling delivered a two-run single off Singer's slider below the strike zone. The plate appearances from Baddoo and Vierling occurred with two outs in the inning.

"We went in knowing that if we could control the strike zone, we would put a lot of pressure on them," Hinch said. "We kept rolling the lineup over and over, and some of those walks that didn't even come to score, they're important because it set up other at-bats that were really key."

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After the Royals responded in the bottom of the first inning, tying the game at three runs apiece, the Tigers struck again in the third inning and took a 5-3 lead. Vierling hammered a hanging slider from Singer 401 feet for a two-run home run to left-center field.

It was Vierling's fourth homer of the season and his second homer in four games.

In the fourth, the Tigers chased Singer from his 10th start of the season. The 23-year-old allowed five runs on seven hits and four walks with three strikeouts, throwing 49 of 87 pitches for strikes.

Singer has a 7.48 ERA this season.

The Tigers forced him to throw 37 pitches in the first inning.

First five for Royals

The Royals responded to the Tigers' 3-0 advantage with back-to-back home runs in the first inning from Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez against right-hander Michael Lorenzen.

The two-run blast from Pasquantino (off a changeup) and the solo shot from Perez (off a slider) tied the game, 3-3. In his past three starts, Lorenzen had allowed just two runs across 20 innings for a 0.90 ERA.

"It wasn't a great pitch," Lorenzen said of his changeup to Pasquantino. "I got to make a better pitch. But I've made plenty of mistakes in the past three starts and was able to get away with them. Today, I wasn't. That's baseball."

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Lorenzen settled in and retired the next 11 of 12 batters he faced while erasing a walk with a double play. Everything changed in the fifth inning, when Nicky Lopez tagged a changeup at the bottom of the zone for a triple to the gap in right-center field.

Bradley, a light-hitting outfielder, couldn't catch up to consecutive fastballs, but for some reason, Lorenzen went to his slider. He put the ball on the outside part of the plate, and Bradley launched his first home run of the season.

The two-run homer evened the score again, 5-5.

"The ball that Jackie Bradley hit out frustrated him because it tied the game," Hinch said. "A little bit of good, a little bit of struggle for him. But we trust him to go back out there again in five days."

Lorenzen allowed five runs on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts in 5⅔ innings, throwing 58 of 85 pitches for strikes. The 31-year-old generated 12 whiffs with three fastballs, five sliders, three changeups and one sweeper.

He also recorded 16 called strikes.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Javier Báez's 3-run double lifts Detroit Tigers to 8-5 win in 10