Thank you for joining us tonight here at VAVEL USA. For Raymond Bureau, I'm Matthew Evans signing off.
WP: Jason Frasor (1-0) LP: Angel Nesbitt (0-1), Sv: Greg Holland (6)
Final: Kansas City 2, Detroit 1
STRIKE THREE SWINGING! That will do it! Cespedes goes down on strikes and the ball game is over.
The 3-2 pitch is in the dirt! Martinez draws a walk and the bases are loaded again. Yoenis Cespedes comes up, he is 0-4 tonight.
Perez grounds to third, Colon throws it to home where they get the force, Perez throws to first and they turn a double play! The rare 5-2-3 double play! Victor Martinez comes up with two on and two outs.
Kinsler draws a walk. The bases are now loaded with no outs here in the bottom of the tenth. Hernan Perez steps up to bat.
A great battle between Holland and Gose goes in the favor of the batter as he earns a walk. Two men on, no outs for Ian Kinsler.
Gose is attempting to lay down a bunt here. The count is 2-1
Holland throws a wild pitch to start the next at-bat, Romine advances to second.
Romine with a base hit into right field. Runner on first with no outs. Anthony Gose who is 1-for-4.
Andrew Romine steps in against Greg Holland to start the bottom of the tenth.
We head to the bottom of the tenth with the score Kansas City 2, Detroit 1
Escobar with the soft liner to short and that will retire the side.
Dyson drives a base hit into the left field for a single. Runners on 1st and 2nd with two outs as we go back to the top of the order. Alcides Escobar comes up.
Nesbitt is looking extremely shaky during this 10th inning.
Colon draws a walk. A runner on first now for Jarrod Dyson. He is 1-for-3.
Christian Colon steps up to bat now, he is 0-for-3.
Infante flies out to center but Gordon scores on the play. A perfectly executed sacrifice fly. It is now 2-1 Kansas City.
Perez grounds out to the second basemen, Gordon advances to third on the play. Runner on third with one out now for Omar Infante.
Royals catcher Salvador Perez is up to bat, he is 0-for-3 tonight.
A wild pitch from Nesbitt on the very next pitch, he looked to lose his footing on the mound. Meanwhile, Gordon advances to second base on the play. The Royals have a man on second and no outs.
The first pitch trails inside and hits Gordon. He takes first base.
Angel Nesbitt comes out to pitch for the Tigers while Alex Gordon steps to the plate.
End of 9: Kansas City 1, Detroit 1
McCann gets under one and drives it into right-center field but Cain is there to make the catch and we will go to extra innings in Detroit.
McCann drives a ball down the right field line but it drifts foul.
The 3-2 pitch is in the dirt and Castellanos draws a walk. The bases are loaded for James McCann.
Martinez flies out to the second basemen. There are now two outs. Nick Castellanos who is 0-for-3 comes up to bat.
Cespedes flies out to the shortstop. One out now and J.D. Martinez is up to bat.
Runners of 1st and 2nd with no outs.
Yoenis Cespedes steps up to the plate with the chance for the win.
Base hit into left field, the winning run is now in scoring position.
Victor Martinez steps up to the plate with the winning run on first.
Cabrera draws a leadoff walk. One on and no outs.
Miguel Cabrera comes up to bat after a very long delay.
And we are back to action in Detroit.
It looks like we have finally hit a break in the weather. The tarp is coming off the field and we should be getting back to baseball in about ten minutes.
Just in case this game is suspended, the next time that the Royals pay a visit to Detroit is in early August for a three-game set. That could be a good time to finish this game if needed.
This is going to be a very lengthy delay, there are puddles of standing water in areas of the field. The latest camera shot looked like it was on the warning track but we couldn't tell.
Weather Update: Still raining in Detroit
The rain is really coming down from the pictures that we are seeing.
We have not heard word yet on a time to restart but we will continue to keep you updated.
Well that was great while it lasted, the tarp is back on the field.
It will be the bottom of the ninth when we resume and the meat of the Tigers order is coming up. There are no outs.
The weather system that is causing this delay is moving to the northeast, there is a little band of rain behind it but the weathermen must think that it should not be too big of a threat
Good news! The tarp is coming off the field at Comerica Park.
Royals: 1 runs, 4 hits, 2 errors ---- Tigers: 1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors.
8 IP, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K for Detroit's Shane Greene.
Starting pitchers' lines: 6 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K for Kansas City's Chris Young.
Detroit got an unearned run in the bottom of the third. With two outs, Anthony Gose beat out a bunt. Omar Infante's throw got past Eric Hosmer, allowing Gose to advance to second. Ian Kinsler then drove him home with an RBI single to left.
SCORING RECAP: Kansas City got a run in the top of the seventh on Alex Gordon's RBI double that drove in Kendrys Morales, who led off with a double.
RAIN DELAY with Miguel Cabrera coming up and Luke Hocevar on the mound for Kansas City. We will have to wait this one out. Keep checking for updates and the return to play.
Bottom 9: Tigers have power in Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, and Yoenis Cespedes all due up.
Morales smacks it into the shift right at Castellano, the third baseman. He gets the 5-6-3 double play to retire the side. Bottom of the ninth coming up, and the Tigers need one to win.
Fly ball to left, and an easy play for Cespedes. It turns out better for KC, though, as they still have one out and a man on rather than two out, bases empty for Kendrys Morales.
Foul ball called on a HOT SHOT at Miguel Cabrera. He steps on the bag for one, throws to second for what would have been a double play, but the count is now full on Hosmer.
Hosmer JUST misses a home run as it curves foul right before the pole, so he will do it again.
Meeting on the mound in a very hard rain.
Eric Hosmer (1 for 3) -- NO SHIFT this time with Cain at first base. Detroit does not want to leave third base unprotected.
Let's see if Ned Yost will use that speed.
Cain leads off the ninth with a walk -- not what Soria wanted to do with a speedy runner.
Lorenzo Cain (0 for 3) leads it off. Hocevar and Holland are up in the bullpen for KC.
Shane Greene: 8 IP, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, and countless ground ball outs.
Shane Greene is done for the night. Joakim Soria is in.
Top of the 9th: Cain, Hosmer, and Morales for KC.
Kinsler pops it high into right center, but Dyson is there to make the catch. We go to the ninth tied at 1.
Ian Kinsler is up with Miguel Cabrera lurking on deck.
Anthony Gose ground out to second baseman Infante for the second out.
Chris Young: 6 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K. Ryan Madson pitched a scorelss seventh.
Romine grounds out to third baseman Castellano for Out #1
Andrew Romine steps in facing Wade Davis, who has come in for the eighth.
Bottom 8: Detroit has Romine, Gose, and Kinsler due up.
Alcides Escobar (0 for 3) pops it up, and Ian Kinsler is there to retire the side. Dyson is left at third, and we go to the bottom of the eighth in a 1-1 tie.
Jarrod Dyson lines one off the right-field wall for a stand-up triple. He might have scored if given the opportunity. Dyson is the fastest in the American League.
Colon (0 for 2) strikes out swinging for Out #2.
Infante (0 for 2) swings and misses for strike three and Out #1. Greene is getting a lot of dip on his pitches now.
Infante, Colon, and Dyson will lead off for Kansas City in the eighth.
High chopper to second. Infante tosses to Young covering, and Young needs all 6'10" to catch the toss. Side retired. After seven complete, it is STILL a 1-1 game.
Castellano takes strike three right down Broadway, That was a very hitable pitch, and he just stood there. He must have looked breaking ball, and Young fooled him.
If this game comes down to the bullpens, then the advantage certainly goes to KC, who has the best bullpen in the Majors.
J-Mart draws the walk, the first from Young. Runner at first, one out for Castellano.
If you like ground balls, then you should LOVE this game.
Cespedes: Hard grounder to Escobar at short. He makes the play to first for Out #1.
Due up for Detroit in the bottom of the seventh are Yoenis Cespedes (o for 2), J.D. Martinez (1 for 2), and Nick Castellanos (o for 2).
Salvadore Perez (0 for 2) lifts the first pitch for a pop up to Ian Kinsler to end the inning. The Royals waste a lead-off hit and keep the game tioed after 6 1/2.
A LONG at bat ends in a pop up to shallow center. Gose is there to make the ctach for the second out.
Gordon had an RBI double in the second and is 1 for 2 (.289).
Morales is out on strikes on just the second swing -and-miss. First K for Greene. 1 out, 1 on for Alex Gordon.
In 74 pitches, Shane Greene has gotten exactly ONE swing-and-miss.
Kendrys Morales is 1 for 2.
Hosmer shoots it through the vacated hole at shortstop for a lead-off single. Good for him. The shift is far over-used.
Eric Hosmer is 0 for 2 hitting into the shift both times. He gets it again.
Top 7, and KC will send up Hosmer, Morales, and Gordon.
Flared into short left, and Escobar makes the over-the-shoulder catch. After six, it is STIll tied.
Martinez has the bases empty and two outs.
Make that three times as he laces another one right at Colon at third base. That is three times he has hit shots right at the Royals' third baseman.
Cabrera is 0 for 2 but he has laced the ball twice.
Strike three for Out #1. Cabrera hits with the bases empty. Kinsler chased a ball in the dirt. Third K for Chris Young.
Kinsler is 1 for 2 with an RBI.
Kinsler, Cabrera, and V-Mart are due up for Detroit in the bottom of the sixth.
We go to the botom of the sixth tied at 1-1.
Cain smacks it up the middle, but Ian Kinsler snags it on a slide. He spins and throws to first to get Cain by a half step. That was a highlight-reel play, and we may see that on the highlight shows tonight and tomorrow morning.
Sharp one-hopper to third right at Castellanos for the second out.
Alcides Escobar is 0 for 2 and now hitting .297.
Greene falls off the mound toward the right side, and that made it an easy play for him.
Jarrod Dyson leads it off with a bunt back to the box. Greene gets the out at first. 1 away.
Top 6: Dyson, Escobar, and Cain are due up for the Royals.
High pop fly into shallow left. Alex Gordon rushes in and makes the catch to end the inning. The Tigers get a hit but leave him at second. After five, it is still 1-1.
Romine steals second. Runners are 89% successful off Young in his career. Great throw by Perez, but Romine just gets under the tag.
The ball appeared to hit Escobar's glove or foot and bounded into the outfield. Romine is at first with two away for Anthony Gose (1 for 2 on two bunt attepmts). He has also scored the Tigers' lone run.
Hard liner off Escobar and into center field. Let's see how they score it. Either way, Romine is aboard. Base hit!
Technical problem, but we are back. Castellano and McCann both went down on strikes. 2 away for Romine.
Rain has started to fall. It rained earlier, and neither team took batting practice.
Castellano, McCann, and Romine (all 0 for 1) are due up for Detroit in the bottom of the fifth.
Colon (0 for 1) also grounds to short. VERY quick inning for Shane Greene. Still tied at 1 as we go to the bottom of the fifth.
Infante grounds to second for the easy out, Kinsler to Cabrera.
Salvadore Perez chops it to short. Romine gets him at first. 1 away.
In a between-inning interview, Justin Verlander says he is felling "much better" but has no time frame yet to return. He has not pitched yet this season.
Top 5: Royals will send up Perez, Infante, and Colon.
J.D. Martinez flies the first pitch to the center-field warning track. Cain run sit down. 1-2-3 go the Tigers, and after four, it is still 1-1.
Cespedes pops it up to the right side, and Dyson comes way in to make the catch just behind the infield dirt.
Bouncer into yet another shift for Out #1. Is there any standard defense for left-handed hitters anymore? We do not see such defense with right-haned hitters.
Victor Matinez (0 for 1) steps in.
Only 38 pitches in three innings for Chris Young.
V-Mart, Cespedes, and J-Mart lead off the bottom of the fourth.
Alex Gordon grounds to Cabrera, who tosses to Greene covering first. Botom of the fourth coming, and it is a 1-1 tie.
Hard grounder into the shift. Third baseman Castellanos fields in in right field and gets the out at first. 2 down.
1 out for Kendrys Morales the switch-hitter batting left against Shane Greene.
Eric Hosmer (0 for 1) grounded out his first time. He grounds it to Kinsler, who gets the out at first. 1 away.
Top 4: Hosmer, Morales, and Gordon are due up for KC.
1 unearned run for Detroit to tie it on two hits and an error. After 3, we are tied at 1-1.
Cabrera (0 for 1) lines it VICIOUSLY at Colon at third base for Out #3. Colon hardly knew what happened, but he makes the grab.
Kinsler takes advantage with a line drive single to left center. Gose comes around to score and tie the game at 1. He smacked the first pitch, wasting no time.
On the first pitch, Bunt single for Gose as Infante flips it WAY over Hosmer's head. Single, E-4 as Gose advances to second.
Andrew Romine rolls is slowly to Infante at second for Out #2.
James McCann flies out to Dyson in right field. 1 away.
Bottom 3: McCann (.313), Romine (.381), and Gose are due for Detroit.
Roller to Romine at short. Over to first to retire the side. Nothing dong for KC in the third, but they still lead 1-0.
Cain batting with two outs and the bases empty.
High pop fly to Kinsler in shallow right field. 2 down.
Top of the order, Alcides Escobar (0 for 1).
Dyson chops it to Kinsler at second. Easy first out.
Jarrod Dyson (.214), Escobar, and Cain are due up for KC in the top of the third.
Nick Castelano (.222) grounds to short. Escobar makes a strong throw going away from the bag to nail Castellano at first and end the inning. One hit, one left. After 2, it is 1-0 Royals.
Gordon made a terrific throw, but Martinez just got in. Yost came out as if to challenge but went right back into the dugout.
Credit Martinez for all-out hustle. The tying run is at second base with two outs.
J.D. Martinez rips one into left field and hustles his way to a double.
Cespedes grounds to third -- Colon makes the easy play for the second out.
Groudner to Escobar at shirt. Easy out at first as Martinez jogs gingerly down the line.
V-Mart is hitting .162 left-handed and .462 tight-handed. He hits lefty against Young.
BIG hand for V-Mart as he steps in to lead off the second. He has a sore knee that hinders his running a littel bit.
The Tigers will send up Victor Martinez (.245), Yoenis Cespedes (.286), and J.D. Martinez (.219) to start the second.
1 run on two hits for Kansas City. After 1 1/2, KC leads 1-0.
Christian Colon (.286) squibs it foul down the first-base line, but it spins back fair. Colon did not run at first, so he is out at first as Cabrera takes it unassisted.
Omar Infante (.250) one-hops it to Romine at shortstop for the second out.CORRECTION from earlier: Romine is at shortstop, not Iglesias.
Perez flies shallow to center fielder Gose for the first out. No advance by Gordon. 1 away.
The Royals have a .295 team batting average to lead the league.
Alex Gordon lines the first pitch to the wall in left center. Morales scores, and Gordon stops at second. 1-0 Royals. 2 pitches, 2 doubles, 1 run for the Royals.
Morales rips one into the right-field corber for a lead-off double.
Top 2: Due up for Kansas City are Morales (.306), Gordon (.284), and Perez (.306)
Miguel Cabrera grounds HARD to third, but right at Colon. The Tigers go down in order, so after one, we have no score.
Kinsler flies easily to center fielder Lorenzo Cain. 2 away.
Ian Kinsler has not hit a home run so far in 2015.
Gose pops up the first pitch in a bunt attempt. Pitcher Chris Young makes the easy catch. 1 Out.
Bottom 1: Tigers begin with Anthony Gose (.329), Ian Kinsler (.306), and Miguel Cabrera (.333)
No challenge, inning over. 1-2-3 go the Royals in the top of the first.
Eric Hosmer hits it into the shift. Ian Kinsler makes the play, but there may be a challenge as Hosmer dives into the bag,
Cain grouds to short. Romine (correction) charges in and makes the play for Out #2.
Escobar flies deep to right. J.D. Martinex is there for the first out.
We are under way!
We hope all mothers out there had a fantastic Mothers' Day.
Top 1: The Royals have Alcides Escobar (.303), Lorenzo Cain (.339), and Eric Hosmer (.322) due up.
Just a few minutes until the first pitch.
Keys to the game: Detroit had better bring a lead into the later innings as they do not want to face the Majors’ most-talented bullpen of Greg Holland, Luke Hochevar, and Wade Davis while trailing. If Kansas City can get to Greene, which has been the pattern for Greene of late, then they should find themselves in very good shape as Detroit’s bullpen once again finds itself in the bottom half of the MLB rankings in terms of ERA.
The Tigers’ starting lineup:
1. Anthony Gose, CF
2. Ian Kinsler, 2B
3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B
4. Victor Martinez, DH
5. Yoenis Cespedes, LF
6. J.D. Martinez, RF
7. Nick Castellanos, 3B
8. James McCann, C
9. Austin Romine, SS
The Royals’ starting lineup:
1. Alcides Escobar, SS
2. Lorenzo Cain, CF
3. Eric Hosmer, 1B
4. Kendrys Morales, DH
5. Alex Gordon, LF
6. Salvadore Perez, C
7. Omar Infante, 2B
8. Christian Colon, 3B
9. Jarrod Dyson, RF
Tigers’ starting pitcher
The Tigers will send Shane Greene (3-2, 5.66) to the mound. The right-hander has allowed 21 earned runs on 35 hits (2 HR) in 34 innings in four starts. Green, the former New York Yankees pitcher, has respectable 1.35 WHIP, but he has had trouble going past four innings in his last three starts. His last time out, Greene allowed five earned runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings in losing to the Chicago White Sox on May 5.
Royals’ starting pitcher
Chris Young (2-0, 1.06 ERA) has found new life in Kansas City. He has made seven appearances, one start, so far on the season, allowing two earned runs on 18 hits on four hits in 17 innings pitched. His only start so far as against Detroit on May 1, defeating the Tigers by pitching five scoreless innings with three walks and nine strikeouts. He has become a very valuable man on the Royals’ staff as he can either spot star or relieve, and he has flourished so far in both roles this season.
The Royals sit #2 in the league in runs scored, led by Lorenzo Cain’s .339 average. Eric Hosmer leads the team with 5 HR and 25 RBI, and Kendrys Morales has driven in 23. The offense is spread throughout the lineup, and no one can count the Royals out late in the games as they continue to make dramatic comebacks as they did throughout the 2014 postseason.
When someone says, “Detroit Tigers,” we automatically think of the offense led by Miguel Cabrera and lots of runs scored. Detroit is seventh in the league in runs scored. Cabrera is hitting .333 with 6 HR and 21 RBI after a slow start. Julio Iglesias has really come on strong this year, hitting .349 in 26 games and playing very solid defense.
Detroit starters are surprisingly in the middle of the pack in the American League with a 4.15 ERA, and Justin Verlander has yet to pitch a single inning. The top of the rotation (Kyle Lobestein, David Price, and Alfredo Simon) have all done their jobs, but the back end has an ERA well over 5.00.
As play began on May 10, The Royals pitching staff led the American League in ERA at 3.34. The bullpen is just as phenomenal as it was last year as it now posts a top-ranked 1.51 ERA. Four Royals relievers have still not allowed a single run in 31 1/3 combined innings, and Wade Davis is a perfect 6 for 6 in save opportunities.
Following this three-game series, which concludes tonight, the Royals and Tigers will not see each other again for the next three months. They will resume the season series in Detroit on August 4, 5, and 6. The next six meetings will all occur in Kansas City from August 10, 11, 12 and September 1, 2, 3. They have three more in Detroit from September 18-20. Should these two teams continue to play as well as they have so far all season, those September games could decide which team wins the A.L. Central.
The two teams have split their season series, each winning three of six games through May 9. Kansas City won the first two on April 30 and May 1 with Detroit taking the next three on May 2, 3 before this weekend series began on Friday.
Both teams have had very hot stretches in the early going, and a split of the first two games of this series has seen the teams play seesaw atop of the division since the series began Friday. Detroit won Friday’s game 6-5 to leapfrog into first. Kansas City took the lead back with a 6-2 win Saturday.
The season is moving out of its early stages as it will reach the first-quarter mark by the early parts of next week. How will these three teams finish? Will we see them battle and trade places throughout the season? Will the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians get back into the race? We will have a good time finding out over the next few months beginning with tonight’s match-up between the Royals and Tigers.
The Major League Baseball season is progressing steadily, and the American League Central division looks like it will remain tight all season long, even changing division leaders frequently. Entering play on Sunday, May 10, the Kansas City Royals (19-11) hold a half-game lead over the Detroit Tigers (19-12) while the Minnesota Twins (18-13) have surprisingly made themselves a force in the division and sit in third place just 1.5 games behind.