Tigers extend Royals losing skid to 11 games
Michael Fulmer shut down Kansas City’s ninth-inning rally for his second save, and the Detroit Tigers’ won 4-3 Thursday (Friday in Manila) to extend the Royals’ losing streak to 11 games.
Detroit led 4-1 entering the ninth, but Kansas City scored twice on Gregory Soto on a groundout by Carlos Santana and an RBI single from Salvador Perez.
Fulmer relieved Soto and got a pop-out from Jorge Soler and struck out Andrew Benintendi swinging to end it.
“Just a ton of confidence. He’s been in big situations before,” catcher Eric Haase said about Fulmer.
Fulmer was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2016 and an All-Star in 2017, both as a starter, before
Tommy John and knee surgeries.
The Royals led the AL Central at the start of this skid, but are now 16-20.
“It’s impossible to deny the way you feel with the compounding losses,” Kansas City manager Mike Matheny said.
Spencer Turnbull (2-2) allowed a run and six hits over 6 1/3 innings for Detroit. He walked one, struck out seven and hit a batter as the Tigers rounded out a three-game sweep.
“From what I’ve seen, that was one of his better days as far as being able to locate his pitches. Even his misses were barely missing,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said about Turnbull. “He was doing what he wanted to do with the baseball. Maybe he misfired here and there but it was a really efficient, good day for him.” Daniel Lynch (0-2) allowed four runs, three earned, in the second inning and was pulled with two outs in the third. Turnbull departed after Nicky Lopez’s one-out single in the seventh. Alex Lange took over and got Whit Merrifield to bounce into a force-out. Lange then walked Santana to bring the tying run to the plate, but Salvador Perez bounced into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.
The Royals once again brought the tying run to the plate with one out in the eighth, but Jose Cisnero fanned Hunter Dozier and Michael Taylor.
Kansas City threatened with runners on first and third and one out in the sixth, but Turnbull struck out Ryan O’Hearn and got Dozier on a groundout.
The Tigers scored all of their runs in the second on RBI singles by Willi Castro, Jacoby Jones and Robbie Grossman and a sacrifice fly
by Akil Baddoo.