Miguel Cabrera delivered the tiebreaking single and Eduardo Rodriguez pitched seven strong innings to help the Detroit Tigers notch a 3-2 victory over the host Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night.
Cabrera’s sixth-inning single put the Tigers ahead to stay as they won for the second time in three days during the four-game series that concludes Thursday. Detroit’s Javier Baez homered, and Riley Greene had three hits.
Rodriguez (6-5) allowed two runs and four hits while striking out seven and walking none.
Jason Foley tossed a scoreless eighth, and Alex Lange worked out of a jam in the ninth for his 16th save.
Michael Massey and Kyle Isbel drove in runs for the Royals.
Kansas City’s Ryan Yarbrough (2-5) worked 5 2/3 innings before leaving with a cramp in his left hamstring. He gave up three runs, six hits and one walk while fanning four.
Royals All-Star catcher Salvador Perez went 0-for-3 and was hit by a pitch in his return to the lineup after missing two games due to a left hamstring strain.
Lange struck Perez with a pitch to start the ninth, but Nicky Lopez followed with a comebacker that Lange turned into a double play. Massey drew a walk and moved to third on Drew Waters’ single before Lange struck out Isbel to end it.
Baez homered with one out in the second to open the scoring. It was his seventh blast of the season.
Rodriguez retired the first 13 Royals before Matt Duffy delivered a sharp single to center in the fifth. Massey followed with an RBI double to knot the score.
Two batters later, Isbel hit a run-scoring double to give Kansas City a 2-1 lead.
Greene led off the Detroit sixth with a double and scored on Kerry Carpenter’s one-out single to center.
Two batters later, Yarbrough was concerned after throwing a pitch that made it 3-0 to Baez. Royals manager Matt Quatraro and a trainer came to the mound. After Yarbrough made a warmup pitch, Quatraro signaled to the bullpen.
Carlos Hernandez completed the walk to Baez, and Cabrera followed with the go-ahead single to center.
–Field Level Media
