DETROIT, Mich. – Former Mizzou pitcher Max Scherzer didn’t allow a Kansas City base runner to reach second base until the sixth inning en route to a 6-3victory for Detroit over the Royals. Royals’ starter Bruce Chen had been masterful in previous starts but surrendered six earned runs in five-and-one-third innings on Sunday afternoon.
The loss drops the Royals to eight-and-a-half behind the division leading Tigers. Kansas City had hopes of winning the unique five-game series after sweeping a Friday doubleheader, but couldn’t keep up with one of the best bats in baseball.
The Royals were victimized in crucial situations by MVP candidate Miguel Cabrera during the weekend games. He homered and drove in the first three Tigers’ runs on Sunday just hours after he won Saturday night’s game with a walk-off home run.
Scherzer became the first pitcher in Major League Baseball to get to the 18-win mark. He exited the game after eight innings, only allowing two runs on five hits. Scherzer is locked in a tight race for the American League Cy Young award, he faces close competition from Seattle Mariner Felix Hernandez and Texas Ranger Yu Darvish as the stretch run approaches.
Kansas City received no favors from immediate postseason competition; Tampa Bay, Baltimore and Oakland were all victorious on Sunday. The only team that the Royals didn’t lose ground to was Cleveland, but the Indians lost to Oakland.
The Royals now sit six games out of the final wild card position. The Royals will host the Chicago White Sox starting on Tuesday at Kauffman Stadium. The game is the beginning of a stretch where the Royals face opponents with losing records for 16 of the next 17 games.
