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Jeremy Guthrie pitched into the seventh inning, allowing just two runs on six hits and the Kansas City Royals won their sixth straight game, 3-2 over the Tigers. Doug Fister allowed three runs and was saddled with a rare complete game loss. He is now 5-4 on the season.
Miguel Cabrera gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning when he hit his 18th home run of the season. Torii Hunter hit a double down the left field line with one out before Cabrera stepped to the plate. Guthrie hung a curveball in the middle of the plate, and Cabrera unloaded on it, sending it deep to left field. It was the 16th home run Guthrie has allowed on the season.
The Royals struck back with a three-spot in the bottom of the third. Alcides Escobar led off the inning with an infield single, then advanced to third on a one-out single by Eric Hosmer. Salvador Perez hit a line drive to right-center field directly in between Avisail Garcia and Torii Hunter. Garcia dove for the ball while Hunter seemed to hesitate, but neither made the play and the ball rolled to the wall. Escobar and Hosmer scored, while Perez ended up on third base with a triple. Fister retired Billy Butler before Lorenzo Cain beat out a ground ball to Jhonny Peralta, scoring Perez to give the Royals a 3-2 lead.
Guthrie allowed a baserunner in each of the next four innings, eventually exiting the game with one out in the top of the seventh, but the Tigers were unable to capitalize on any scoring opportunities. Aaron Crow relieved Guthrie and retired both Hunter and Cabrera, stranding two runners on base. Tim Collins and Kelvin Herrera combined to pitch a scoreless eighth inning before turning the ball over to closer Greg Holland, who pitched a perfect ninth for his 13th save.
WIN PROBABILITY GRAPH:
Source: FanGraphs
BULLETS:
As someone who watched MLB.TV constantly, I feel Bryan's pain -- although the Free Credit Score and Head & Shoulders ads are worse.
Already have seen this ad 49 times tonight. GO BACK TO YOUR SHOE twitpic.com/cwk5r5
— Bryan Craves (@DisplacedTgrFan) June 11, 2013
We have no way of measuring this, but Rod and Mario mentioning Kansas City barbecue as early as the bottom of the second inning has to be a record.
Guthrie cruised through the Tigers lineup in the first two innings, but wasn't so efficient the second time around. He hung a curveball to Cabrera, which is never a good idea, especially in Kansas City.
Seasons change but Miguel Cabrera continues to pound the ball at Kauffman Stadium. 2-run HR, 412 feet. 18 HRs, 69 RBIs on the year.
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) June 11, 2013
Otherwise, what we saw tonight was vintage Jeremy Guthrie. He has taken a liking to the expansive outfield dimensions in Kauffman Stadium, and while he gives up home runs by the boatload, he can be very effective with a solid outfield defense behind him.
While Fister's defense did him no favors in the third inning, his location was still a bit off. It's troubling to see Fister do this in an inning or two every start, but also goes to show how dominant he can be at times. He blazed through the Royals lineup throughout the rest of the game, racking up a number of easy groundouts.
Chris Getz's single in the fourth inning was the Royals' third infield hit of the game, all three of which went to the same spot. Rogo tweeted it, but we were all thinking it.
I've been whining for years that Detroit should have a statue of Trammell. Instead, we've got a statue named Peralta.
— Scott Rogowski (@DNR_Rogo) June 11, 2013
Meanwhile, in Chicago...
Fog update. I can not see. twitter.com/CeeAngi/status…
— Cee Angi (@CeeAngi) June 11, 2013
...and in Tampa...
And the benches clear as Lackey hits #Rays Joyce and Joyce objects
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) June 11, 2013
...and in Baltimore...
BREAKING: Animals mysteriously leaving Baltimore zoo in pairs. #raininghard
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) June 11, 2013
...things were interesting around the league this evening.
THREE ROARS:
Doug Fister: Dougie Fresh can't buy a break these days. He was charged with three earned runs, but could have gotten out of dodge with a little help from his defense. Run support would be nice, too.
Miguel Cabrera: Absolutely murdered a hanging curveball from Guthrie in the third inning, providing the Tigers' only offense of the evening.
Torii Hunter: Two hits including a double that led to the Tigers' only runs of the game.
THREE HISSES:
Jhonny Peralta: 1-for-2 at the plate, but a less-than-stellar evening in the field for the All-Star candidate.
Prince Fielder and Victor Martinez: Twin 0-for-4 nights with four flyouts earned them a hiss apiece.
ROLL CALL:
TOP TEN COMMENTERS:
| # | Commenter | # Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | H2OPoloPunk | 145 |
| 2 | kland83 | 127 |
| 3 | Sneechin' | 121 |
| 4 | RewertsSpartan | 75 |
| 5 | SanDiegoMick | 71 |
| 6 | SpartanHT | 68 |
| 7 | JerseyTigerFan | 63 |
| 8 | BadCompany22 | 61 |
| 9 | JWurm | 54 |
| 10 | madpoopz | 46 |
MOST RECS:
GAME 61 PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Jose Alvarez baffled the Indians and stole our hearts, taking home 76% of the BYB Player of the Game after a stellar big league debut.