DETROIT -- Michael Massey didn’t start Sunday’s game, but he helped end it in a win with his go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth inning of the Royals’ 5-4 victory at Comerica Park.
The win gave the Royals a series split after losing the first two games here this weekend and coming back to win Saturday’s historic game with Salvador Perez’s record-breaking home run. Kansas City has won seven of 10 since the All-Star break.
All seven games here at Comerica Park this year have been decided by one run, and the Royals finally ended on the right side of those tight games the past two days.
Kansas City stacked its starting lineup with right-handed batters in advance of facing Tigers lefty Framber Valdez, and it helped them early on with two runs in the first inning -- including Lane Thomas’ leadoff homer -- and another run in the third on Luke Maile’s RBI double.
As soon as Valdez left after five, the Royals brought in their lefties for pinch-hit opportunities, which didn’t amount to anything at the time. But then Tigers manager A.J. Hinch brought in lefty reliever Drew Sommers to face those lefties in the eighth inning -- and Massey provided the clutch home run, lifting a low slider a Statcast-projected 399 feet out to right field.
The bullpen held it from there with both John Schreiber and Steven Cruz recovering from rough outings Friday to lock down the win.
Starter Luinder Avila cruised through four innings Sunday but hit a wall in the fifth, allowing a double, walk and single to load the bases with no outs before he was able to strike out Gleyber Torres swinging on a slider. Manager Matt Quatraro brought in lefty reliever Matt Strahm to face left-handed batter Riley Greene, and the Royals got what they wanted in a softly-hit ground ball, but second baseman Andrew Velazquez and shortstop Tyler Tolbert miscommunicated on it, leading to an error, two runs scored and eventually the Tigers taking the lead on Dillon Dingler’s two-run single a batter later.
But this Royals team, for as much of a struggle that this season has been, has shown its resiliency lately, and Sunday -- and this series after two losses to begin it -- was no different.