1 day Ago By Kansas City Star
The got their final regular-season look at American League Cy Young front-runner on Wednesday night. They also got their final regular-season look at a red-hot team quickly closing the gap on the Wild Card race. Skubal drew the start for the at Kauffman Stadium.
The iconic venue hadn’t been kind throughout his career. Skubal entered with a 6.14 ERA in six road starts against the Royals.
Those numbers were quickly thrown out the window. Skubal allowed one run and three hits in the Tigers 4-2 victory. The Royals tagged him early as first baseman recorded an RBI single.
However, Skubal quickly found his stride. He retired 13 of his last 16 batters and didn’t surrender another hit. The Royals struck out seven times as just one additional runner reached second base.
Yuli comes through in the 1st! — Kansas City Royals (@Royals) Skubal improved to 17-4 after five solid innings. It was a different story for Royals starter . Marsh was pulled after 2 2⁄3 innings against the Tigers.
He labored in the third inning as Detroit scored three runs in the frame. Tigers star hit a 427-foot home run to lead off the inning. Later, and reached in consecutive at-bats.
This enabled Tigers shortstop to strike with a two-run double. Marsh threw 39 of 73 pitches for strikes. He missed a lot of pitch locations and that got him into early trouble.
Greene’s homer was a mislocated 93.1-mph fastball that stayed over the center of the strike zone. The Royals dropped to 82-71.
The club was swept for the third time and has now lost four consecutive games. The Tigers, at one point 55-63, are 25-10 in their last 35 games. They’ve won nine of 11, including four straight.
Game 1: Game 2: Updated AL Wild Card standings Detroit continues to surge in the American League Wild Card race. The Tigers are now 80-73 and a half-game behind the for the final Wild Card spot. Notably, the Royals are only two games ahead of the Tigers, who are out of playoff position.
Wednesday’s Tigers victory closed the gap on the , Twins and Royals. Each team lost in their respective games. The Royals still remain 1 1⁄2 games ahead of the Twins for the second AL Wild Card spot.
However, KC trails the Baltimore Orioles by 2 1⁄2 games for the top Wild Card position. The first Wild Card spot guarantees a three-game home playoff series. The Royals are on shakier ground with nine games remaining.
IV effective in long relief The Royals relied on left-handed reliever Daniel Lynch IV on Wednesday. In the third inning, Lynch entered after Marsh departed. Lynch recorded 3 1⁄3 innings of scoreless work.
He struck out four batters and allowed two hits in his relief appearance. This season, Lynch has a 3.89 ERA in 13 games.
He extended his scoreless streak to 14 1⁄3 innings since returning from Triple-A Omaha on Aug. 26. Lynch has recorded 16 strikeouts in that span.
The Royals are off on Thursday. The club will begin its final home series against the on Friday night..
