Kansas City built an early lead and held on through a late Detroit surge, defeating the Tigers 5-2 on Friday night at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals' offense struck quickly, scoring in four of the first six innings to establish control before the bullpen navigated a two-run seventh.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DET | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| KC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | X | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Noah Cameron anchored the start for Kansas City, allowing two hits over five scoreless innings with three walks and two strikeouts. Troy Melton took the loss for Detroit, giving up three runs on six hits over 5.2 innings. The Royals' bullpen covered the final four innings, surrendering two runs as the Tigers mounted a late challenge.
Vinnie Pasquantino scored the game's first run in the fourth inning when Michael Massey reached on a fielding error by shortstop Kevin McGonigle. Kyle Isbel extended the lead with a solo home run in the fifth, his fifth of the season. Pasquantino added another run with a solo shot in the sixth, his eighth homer. Carter Jensen's solo home run in the seventh pushed the Royals' advantage to 4-2. In the eighth, Isbel doubled and scored on a Michael Massey single to make it 5-2.
Detroit cut into the deficit in the seventh when Max Clark scored on a Zach McKinstry double, and Kevin McGonigle's single brought McKinstry home. But the Tigers could not close the gap. Kansas City improved to 56-74 and extended its winning streak to six games. Detroit fell to 61-67 and dropped its third consecutive game.