Detroit led after a four-run fifth inning. It did not last. Kansas City answered in the eighth, and the Royals walked out of Comerica Park with a 5-4 win that swung twice in the final three innings.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 1 |
| DET | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 1 |
Lane Thomas set the tone early and stayed involved throughout, finishing 1-for-4 with a home run, an RBI and a walk. His solo shot in the first inning got Kansas City on the board immediately, part of a night in which he reached base in three of his four trips to the plate. He was named the game's top performer for the effort.
Thomas opened the scoring with a homer to right in the first inning, and Kansas City added a second run in the same frame when Loftin scored on a fielding error by second baseman Lee. Detroit answered in the fifth, with Greene's fielder's choice bringing home Keith and Lee before Dingler's single scored McGonigle and Greene to put the Tigers ahead 4-3. But the Royals had the last word: in the eighth, Massey homered to right, a two-run shot that also brought home Collins and put Kansas City back in front for good at 5-4.
Detroit starter Framber Valdez allowed 3 runs (2 earned) over 5.0 innings with 4 strikeouts, and reliever Drew Sommers took the loss after allowing 2 runs on 2 hits in 1.1 innings. Kansas City starter Luinder Avila worked 4.1 innings and allowed 3 runs (2 earned), with the bullpen covering the rest, including Steven Cruz, who worked around a walk for a scoreless inning to close it out and pick up the save.
The result snapped Detroit's two-game skid into a third straight loss, dropping the Tigers to 50-56, while Kansas City improved to 45-62 and extended its winning streak to two games.