Monday, May 29, 2017 07:15 PM (ET)

Tigers rally in 8th to defeat Royals

The Sports Xchange
May 29, 2017

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run single in a four-run eighth inning as the Detroit Tigers rallied to beat the Kansas City Royals 10-7 on Monday night.

Entering with Kansas City ahead 7-6, Royals reliever Joakim Soria (2-2) faced five batters in the eighth and retired none. He walked two, yielded three hits and threw a run-scoring wild pitch. Soria blew a save chance for the fourth time this year.

Eric Hosmer homered with Lorenzo Cain aboard off Francisco Rodriguez in the seventh to give the Royals a 7-6 lead. Rodriguez (2-5) got a blown save, but claimed a victory.

The Royals trimmed the Tigers' lead to one run in the sixth. Alex Gordon drew a walk from left-hander Blaine Hardy, who began his career with the Royals as a 2008 22nd-round draft pick, with the bases loaded. Alcides Escobar's sacrifice fly scored Whit Merrifield, who had doubled, with the second run.

Merrifield finished a single shy of the cycle. He flied out to center in the seventh in his final at-bat.

Justin Wilson worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth to pick up his fourth save in five chances.

The Tigers batted around in a six-run fifth and chased starter Jason Hammel, who walked three and uncorked a wild pitch in the inning. When he walked Cabrera with the bases loaded, that was manager Ned Yost's cue to go to the bullpen.

Left-hander Mike Minor was summoned, but on his first pitch gave up a two-run double to Victor Martinez that tied the score at 3.

Next J.D. Martinez uncorked a three-run homer, making it 6-3 Detroit.

Hammel allowed four runs on four hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings.

Merrifield put the Royals in front 1-0 in the third with his sixth home run, driving a 2-1 Daniel Norris pitch into the left field seats. Merrifield extended his hitting streak to a career-best 14 games, which is the longest by a Royal this season.

Merrifield was in the middle of the Royals' two-run fourth. Salvador Perez was hit by a Norris pitch and scored on a Merrifield two-out triple to right. Jorge Soler's single scored Merrifield, giving the Royals a short-lived 3-0 lead.

The Tigers led off the game with an Andrew Romine double and Cabrera walked with one out, but Hammel worked out of that peril with Victor Martinez flying out and J.D. Martinez grounding out.

Hammel faced another treacherous situation in the third when Romine singled and went to third on Cabrera's two-out single up the middle. He retired Victor Martinez on a sharp hopper to first.

NOTES: The Royals placed LHP Danny Duffy on the disabled list due to an oblique strain. He is expected to be out six to eight weeks. Duffy sustained the injury Sunday while covering first base in a loss at Cleveland. ... The Royals optioned RHP Miguel Almonte to Double-A Northwest Arkansas. They recalled RHP Kevin McCarthy from Triple-A Omaha. ... Royals LHP Eric Skoglund was promoted from Omaha, and he will make his major league debut Tuesday, starting against the Tigers and RHP Justin Verlander.
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