DETROIT -- The funny thing about the game of baseball is, you can do almost everything right and still lose a game.
That's why no team has gone, or ever will go, 162-0.
The Tigers got a great start from Doug Fister, who allowed just one run on eight hits in 7 2/3 innings but still lost to the Kansas City Royals, 1-0, because Ervin Santana had an even better start and the Royals bullpen is as solid as it gets.
The Royals scored their only run in the first inning, when Alex Gordon led off with a single and scored on Eric Hosmer's triple.
"Dougie, after the first inning, he made a tremendous adjustment," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "You could see early on they were just charging him. You could see the adjustment, and he pitched brilliantly.
"Santana was just a little bit better. He had a real nasty slider, got us to chase some. It’s tough to pick up, and that’s when you chase some bad ones."
Torii Hunter has seen Santana (9-9, 3.23 ERA) at his best, so he wasn't surprised at all.
"I've seen him pitch a no-hitter in Cleveland in 2011," Hunter said. "That slider was biting like 2011, when I played behind him. He had good stuff.
"The slider is his best pitch. It comes out like a fastball, and right when you think you're on it, it breaks away from you. He did a really good job."
In the sixth, it looked like Miguel Cabrera hit one of his patented, go-ahead home runs with a runner on base, but the ball died at the warning track in left-center field for the final out of the inning.
"I thought he hit it well enough to get out," Alex Avila said. "This park is weird, though. A lot of times, the gaps travel a little bit more when it's hotter in the daytime than at night. You almost have to hit it down the lines to get it out of here sometimes.
"He hit it well. I thought he got enough of it to get it out, but a little cool night probably kept that one in."
When Fister came out of the game, Jose Alvarez and Al Alburquerque did not let the Royals add on any runs.
They got a little help from Hunter in right field in the eighth.
Chris Getz was at second and Hosmer at first when Billy Butler hit a fly ball to right. Hunter caught it, but Getz tried to take third after tagging. Hunter made a perfect throw to get him for the double play.
"I'm always ready to throw, "Hunter said. "When I saw him go, I was kind of happy."
The Tigers were happy to get a couple of guys on base in the seventh, but the Royals turned to their vaunted bullpen. Will Smith got pinch hitter Nick Castellanos to fly out.
Then Luke Hochevar threw a scoreless eighth.
On came Greg Holland, the Royals closer, in the ninth. He came in with 42 saves in 45 chances and a tiny 1.35 ERA.
Prince Fielder walked to lead off the inning, then Holland quickly retired Victor Martinez and Andy Dirks.
Omar Infante, batting .339 since coming off the disabled list on Aug. 12, hit a double to left field.
Fielder, who moves pretty fast once he's going, was thrown out at the plate on a perfect relay from Gordon to shortstop Alcides Escobar to catcher Salvador Perez, who actually lost sight of the ball when it came in behind Fielder.
"I didn't see the ball," Perez said. "I just put my glove down and got the short hop and tagged him."
Said Leyland: "It was just a terrific game, and a terrific play to end the game. A great play on everybody’s part.
"It was a great play for Gordon to get to it, got the relay to Escobar. Perez made a great pick of the ball at the plate and the tag, and Brookie (third-base coach Tom Brookens) made a great call with two outs, sending him.
"Against that guy (Holland), you’re not going to get much, so it was just one of those great plays to end the game. It just wasn’t a play for us."
Some wondered why Leyland didn't put a pinch runner in for Fielder in that situation.
"I’m not taking Prince Fielder out of the game," Leyland said. "I’m not going to do it. It’s just the way it is."
The Cleveland Indians beat the Chicago White Sox to move to just five games behind the Tigers in the Central Division. The Royals are seven games back.
But the Tigers aren't going to dwell on Saturday's loss because sometimes you play well and don't get rewarded.
"The guy is one of the best closers in the game this year," Hunter said. "When you lose like that, you're upset, but it's not anything that really carries over."
