KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Casey Mize turned in his eighth quality start in his last nine games, Miguel Cabrera got two more hits and the Detroit Tigers beat Kansas City 4-2 Tuesday night, the Royals’ fifth straight loss.
Mize (4-4) allowed three runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. Gregory Soto pitched the ninth for his sixth save in as many chances.
“The quality is more important than the length,” Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said. “Casey came out and had to battle. I think he got a little better as the game went along.
“He had to fight a little bit to find his rhythm. At the beginning of the day if you said he was going to pitch into the seventh and give up three runs you’d feel good about it.”
After the Tigers had to use nine pitchers in Monday’s game, Mize knew he had to go as deep as possible.
“Coming into today I knew that was really important,” Mize said. “That was definitely something I was thinking about. I was trying to be efficient.”
Cabrera, stuck in a slump for most of the season, doubled and singled to drive in one run and score another. He had three hits in Monday night’s win over the Royals.
Mike Minor (5-4) gave up four runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. The Royals have lost 10 of 11 and haven’t led at any point since beating Oakland six games ago.
“I felt we did a good job fighting our way back in,” Kansas City manager Mike Matheny said. “We got a little something going, with some good situational hitting. I know things are going to change. But right now, it’s just not happening.”
Cabrera put the Tigers on top in the first with an RBI single. He has 246 career hits against the Royals, his second most against any opponent (258, Cleveland).
Jonathan Schoop’s two-run homer in the third gave the Tigers a 3-0 lead.
Mize helped the Royals get back in the game in the bottom of the third. Nicky Lopez and Whit Merrifield singled with one out, and both runners advanced on a wild pitch.
Lopez scored on a groundout by Carlos Santana and Mize then hit Salvador Perez with a pitch and walked Jorge Soler, loading the bases. Mize’s second wild pitch scored Merrifield.
Cabrera doubled in the sixth and scored on Daz Cameron’s hit off reliever Kyle Zimmer.
The Royals cut the lead to one run in the seventh on Lopez’s bloop single.
