By Dave Hart
LocalSportsJournal.com

Royals 7, Tigers 4 – Kansas City was one out away from defeat, but Paulo Orlando tied the game with a two-run double before Eric Hosmer blasted a three-run home run to propel the Royals over Detroit on Saturday afternoon.

LSJ Logo incertThe Tigers are now tied with Baltimore, which plays Saturday night against Arizona, for the final playoff spot with eight games remaining.

The Royals opened the scoring with a run in the second inning to take a 1-0 lead.

Detroit responded with two runs in the third and one in the fourth to grab a 3-1 advantage.Eye on the D

Both teams exchanged runs in the sixth inning, giving the Tigers a 4-2 lead, an advantage that stood until the final inning.

The Royals scored the final five runs of the contest with two outs in the ninth inning.

The Tigers were led in losing effort by Cameron Maybin and J.D. Martinez with two RBIs a piece while Justin Upton chipped in with a double.

Detroit’s starting pitcher Daniel Norris took a tough no-decision, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out six batters in 5 2/3 innings.

The Tigers will look to bounce back and win the series against the Royals with a win on Sunday afternoon. They are now 83-71 on the season.

 

Record: 83-71

2nd Place in AL Central Division (7.5 games behind first-place Cleveland)

Tied with Baltimore for the last playoff spot

Magic # to clinch a playoff spot: 9

Magic # to clinch an AL Central Division title: 17

Misery # to AL Central Division elimination: 2

Misery # to playoff elimination: 9

Next Game: 09/25/2016 vs Kansas City Royals 1:10 p.m. @ Comerica Park

Hitting stats: Cameron Maybin 2 RBI (43), J.D. Martinez 2 RBI (65), Justin Upton 2B (26).

Pitching stats: Francisco Rodriguez L (3-4) .2 IP 4 H 5 R 5 ER 1 BB 1 K, Daniel Norris 5 2/3 IP 6 H 2 R 2 ER 2 BB 6 K.