Tiger Bats Come Alive in Kansas City
The Tigers went into Kansas City on Monday night, needing a win, after dropping three of four to both the Astros and White Sox.
The Tiger bats were silent over those two series, as they struck out 49 times in the series with the Sox, a feat that hasn’t been matched on over a century.
On Monday, the bats came alive, but the bullpen faltered. A six-run fifth staked starter Daniel Norris to a 6-3 lead. J.D. Martinez hit a three run homer, his 8th of the season.
But relievers Shane Green, Blaine Hardy and Francisco Rodriguez failed to hold the lead. Green loaded the bases and Hardy walked in a run. K-Rod gave up a two run homer to Eric Hosmer to give the Royals a 7-6 lead.
But in the 8th, newcomer Alex Presley singled in the tying run off former Tiger Joakim Soria. Presley, a long time minor league veteran, replaced Tyler Collins whom the Tigers designated for assignment.
Soria’s wild pitch scored Nick Castellanos with the go-ahead run. Miguel Cabrera’s single scored two and the Tigers lead 10-7.
The Tigers are 5 games behind the Twins in the AL Central. The Tigers send Justin Verlander to the mound in game 2 on Wednesday. Broadcast time is 7:45 on 95.3 WBCK.
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