The Sports Xchange
Sep 4, 2017
DETROIT -- Eric Hosmer homered and drove in three runs and the Kansas City Royals ruined Artie Lewicki's major league debut with a 7-6 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Monday at Comerica Park.
Hosmer had a run-scoring single and two-run homer in support of starter Jakob Junis (7-2), who pitched the minimum five innings to notch the victory. Junis allowed three runs and seven hits and struck out three.
Scott Alexander got the last out for his third save after Detroit staged a three-run rally in the ninth inning. He retired Mikie Mahtook on a fielder's choice with two runners aboard.
Melky Cabrera contributed a two-run double for Kansas City (68-68) and Salvador Perez and Alcides Escobar added solo home runs. Lorenzo Cain had three hits and scored a run, and Whit Merrifield chipped in two hits and scored twice.
Lewicki gave up five runs and 11 hits in five innings. He won all five of his starts with Triple-A Toledo before getting called up.
Nicholas Castellanos drove in four runs, including a three-run homer in the ninth, but Detroit (58-79) lost its fifth straight.
Alex Presley and Jeimer Candelario had three hits apiece.
Hosmer gave the Royals an early lead with a two-out RBI single in the first inning.
Kansas City extended the lead to 5-0 in the third. Merrifield and Cain started the inning with singles. Cabrera brought both of them home with a double to left center. Hosmer then followed with his opposite-field blast.
Kansas City left fielder Alex Gordon preserved that lead in the fourth by robbing Mahtook of a three-run homer. Gordon extended his glove over the wall and snared the ball to Mahtook's utter disbelief.
Junis wasn't as fortunate in the fifth, as the Tigers ripped three extra-base hits and scored three runs. Jose Iglesias had an RBI double, Presley knocked him in with a triple and Castellanos added a sacrifice fly.
Perez made it 6-3 in the seventh with his 22nd homer of the season. Escobar led off the eighth with this fourth homer.
NOTES: Tigers RHP Jordan Zimmermann will miss at least one start and perhaps the rest of the season after a recurrence of a neck issue that hampered him last season. "The pain in his neck has returned and started to radiate down his right trap(ezoid)," manager Brad Ausmus said. Zimmermann received two injections to alleviate the pain last year and could get another one. He's 1-4 with a 9.39 ERA in his last six starts. ... Detroit 1B Miguel Cabrera may not take batting practice during the series in order to rest his aching back. Cabrera is serving a six-game suspension for instigated a brawl against the New York Yankees on Aug. 24. ... The Royals have won their last six games against the Tigers. ... Kansas City is now 12-4 in day games since July.