Royals Outlast Tigers in Offensive Slugfest Behind Loftin’s Heroics

For three innings Sunday at Kauffman Stadium, the Detroit Tigers looked like they might waltz into Kansas City and steal one. Then the Royals remembered they can actually hit, and the Tigers’ pitching staff got a brutal reminder of why you cannot pitch like a Single-A affiliate and expect to win ballgames in late August.

Kansas City eviscerated Andrew Sears over just 4.0 innings of work, pounding out six hits and five runs while the Tigers’ starter had nothing going. The Royals scored five runs in the second inning alone, with Kyle Isbel‘s two-run single and Nick Loftin‘s three-run bomb putting this thing on ice before the Tigers could even blink.

Loftin was the undisputed star of Sunday’s affair, going 3-for-4 with a homer and 4 RBIs. The guy was locked in from the moment he stepped into the box, and his three-run blast in the second inning essentially won the game right there. This is the kind of performance you dream about getting from your middle of the lineup, and Loftin delivered when it mattered most.

Tigers Fight Back, But Late Rally Comes Up Short

To Detroit’s credit, they did not roll over. Kevin McGonigle had himself a day with two hits including a two-run homer, and the Tigers’ bats woke up in the fifth inning when it was way too late. Max Clark, Gleyber Torres, Hao-Yu Lee, and McGonigle all contributed RBIs in what looked like a potential comeback, pulling the deficit to just four runs at one point.

But here is the problem with waiting until the fifth inning to start hitting: you are chasing the game the entire time. The Royals kept adding on in the bottom of the fifth when John Rave went deep for his own two-run shot, and Salvador Perez chipped in with an RBI double. By the time Detroit’s bats got rolling, Kansas City had already built an insurmountable lead.

Sears Cannot Carry the Load

This loss falls squarely on Sears’ shoulders. Four innings, six hits, five earned runs, and a 1.25 WHIP does not cut it at any level of professional baseball. The Tigers needed a quality start to stay in this game, and Sears gave them the exact opposite. John Schreiber got the win for Kansas City despite pitching only 0.2 innings, which tells you everything you need to know about how lopsided this offensive battle became.

Detroit scored seven runs and still lost convincingly. That speaks volumes about the Royals’ ability to put runs on the board when the moment calls for it. The Tigers had several chances to make this competitive down the stretch, but two late runs by Kansas City in the eighth inning put the final nail in the coffin.

Sunday’s matchup was a reminder that in baseball, you can score seven runs and still come up on the wrong side of an 11-7 final. The Royals’ lineup flexed on the Tigers all afternoon, with Isbel (3 RBIs), Perez (1 RBI), Pasquantino (1 RBI), and Rave (2 RBIs) all chipping in to build a winning total. Detroit’s hopes hinge on getting better starting pitching down the stretch, because what they got from Sears Sunday was completely unacceptable.