KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Detroit starter Matthew Boyd and reliever Alex Lange both exited with injuries and the Tigers still ended a three-game losing streak, beating the Kansas City Royals 10-3 Monday night.
Willi Castro, Robbie Grossman and Niko Goodrum homered for Detroit. Miguel Cabrera got three hits and drove in two runs, with his RBI single keying a four-run first inning.
The Royals, who have not led since finishing off Thursday’s 6-1 victory in Oakland, lost their fourth in a row. They are a season-worst five games below .500.
Boyd departed in the third because of discomfort in his left arm. Lange left after recording just one out in the fifth with shoulder trouble.
“(Boyd) came into that inning and was throwing well,” Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said. “After a few pitches he called us out. He said he felt a little something in his tricep.”
Boyd told the team trainer that his arm had felt odd the whole inning.
“We immediately removed him from the game. We’re going to send him for some tests. It’s very disappointing on the night because he was throwing the ball well with probably the best fastball he’s had in the last month,” Hinch said.
Hinch said he didn’t know if Boyd would miss any time.
“I think Lange is going to end up on the injured list from the initial diagnosis,” Hinch said. “He’s had some shoulder issues. I didn’t even get out to the mound. By the time I got to the (foul) line, they were already walking off.”
Royals starter Brad Keller (6-6) struggled throughout, allowing six earned runs and eight hits in five innings.
“I think he’s trying to overdo it a little bit,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “He feels good. Sometimes when he tries to hump up his fastball he gets too much movement.”
Keller has struggled in the first inning all season. Following three earned runs in the first on Monday, his ERA in the first inning is now 9.64. Keller didn’t record an out until his 22nd pitch when he struck out Eric Haase.
Keller hit Grossman with his first pitch of the game, Harold Castro singled and Jonathan Schoop reached on an error that rolled through the legs of third baseman Kelvin Gutierrez, allowing a run to score. Cabrera added an RBI single and Goodrum hit a two-run single.
After giving up back-to-back, one-out singles in the third by Whit Merrifield and Carlos Santana, Boyd was pulled from the game. He was relieved by Joe Jimenez (2-0), who struck out Salvador Perez and got Jorge Soler to pop out.
Castro hit a two-run homer in the fourth. Goodrum connected in the eighth and Grossman homered in the ninth.
