Major League Baseball

Royals' Hosmer finishes dramatic night with 9th-inning HR

Published Aug. 18, 2016 12:16 a.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

DETROIT (AP) Eric Hosmer hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning to give the Kansas City Royals a 4-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night and complete a three-game sweep.

Hosmer broke up Anibal Sanchez's no-hit bid with a double in the seventh inning after spoiling his perfect game bid with a walk in the fifth.

Sanchez threw seven shutout innings after allowing eight runs in four innings in his previous start. He struck out six and walked two Wednesday.

The Tigers have lost eight of their last 10 games.

Justin Wilson replaced Sanchez for the eighth with a 1-0 lead and allowed a tying homer to Alex Gordon on his first pitch. Raul Mondesi tripled with two out in the inning, but Shane Greene replaced Wilson to retire Paulo Orlando.

In the ninth, Greene (2-3) allowed a one-out single to Lorenzo Cain before Hosmer's line drive into the right-field stands. Drew Butera added an RBI single later in the inning.

Matt Strahm (1-0) got the win with 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief, and Kelvin Herrera pitched the ninth for his sixth save.

Victor Martinez gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the second with a homer over the 365-foot sign in right-center field. The Tigers had two runners on base in both the third and fourth innings, but couldn't add to their lead.

Meanwhile, Sanchez looked like a different pitcher than the one who has been in and out of the rotation all season. The Royals didn't come close to getting a runner in the first four innings, but Hosmer and Alex Gordon both drew walks in the fifth.

Sanchez got through the inning without a hit, but was already at 80 pitches, and he came into the game having allowed a 1.080 OPS after his 75th pitch.

Sanchez got through the sixth on eight pitches, then retired the first two batters in the seventh without trouble, but Hosmer lined a first-pitch curveball into the left-center field gap to end the drama.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Royals: RHP Kris Medlen, sidelined since May 21 with rotator-cuff inflammation, threw two scoreless innings in a Rookie-level Arizona League game. ... LHP Jason Vargas, who has missed the entire season after Tommy John surgery, was scheduled to start Wednesday night for Double-A Northwest Arkansas.

Tigers: Miguel Cabrera returned after sitting out Tuesday's loss with a strained left biceps. He didn't look entirely comfortable, shaking his arm after swings, but hit a 112 mph groundball in the third inning, per Statcast. ... LF Tyler Collins left the game after seven innings with a right-knee contusion. He had been hit by Yordano Ventura's 99 mph fastball in the sixth.

FORGIVING FANS

Erick Aybar got a loud cheer from the Comerica Park crowd when he batted for the first time as a Tiger - a change from his usual greeting in Detroit. In 2011, Aybar bunted to try to break up Justin Verlander's no-hitter in the eighth inning, drawing an angry response from both the Tigers ace and the fans.

Verlander joked that the Tigers trading for Aybar on Tuesday made him glad he didn't retaliate.

''I told him I was going to hit him, but I never did,'' Verlander said. ''So that will make things easier in the clubhouse.''

UP NEXT

Royals: Kansas City returns home to start a four-game series with the Twins on Thursday night. Dillon Gee (4-6, 4.78) is scheduled to start against Minnesota's Tyler Duffey (8-8, 5.71).

Tigers: Detroit plays Boston on Thursday in the first of a four-game series. Matt Boyd (4-2, 4.16) faces Clay Buchholz (4-9. 5.66) in a game being played during the afternoon because of a Detroit Lions exhibition game at nearby Ford Field in the evening.

share

Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Major League Baseball