Detroit Tigers beat Kansas City Royals 4-2 and are half a game ahead

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – It seemed like Jace Jung had no chance of scoring on this play at the plate.

Except that he did.

“He overlooked the label on me,” said Jung.

It seemed as if the Detroit Tigers had no chance of making the playoffs a month ago – but after Wednesday's 4-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals to win the three-game series at Kauffman Stadium, they are now only half a game behind the Minnesota Twins in the battle for the third and final wildcard spot in the American League.

There are still nine games left.

“We've been playing pretty good baseball for a while and have stayed out of the standings conversation for the most part,” manager AJ Hinch said. “It doesn't really matter until the next game, but I know we're playing well. I know we're a tough team.”

INJURY UPDATE:Here's when the Tigers think Colt Keith will play again

The Twins lost to the Cleveland Guardians 5-4 on a walk-off single in overtime, allowing three runs in the second half of the 10th inning. The Twins and Guardians will finish their four-game series on Thursday afternoon.

The Tigers (80-73) have now won four games in a row, giving them a record of 25-10 in their last 35 games (since August 11).

As for Jung's game, an aggressive charge by fearless third-base coach Joey Cora in the third inning provided a memorable moment as the Tigers continued their improbable push into the postseason.

With two runners on base, Trey Sweeney hit a two-strike slider from right-hander Alec Marsh into the right field corner.

Spencer Torkelson scored easily, but Jung – not known for his speed – had to hurry to score from first base. Right fielder Hunter Renfroe's throw to catcher Salvador Pérez got to Jung, but Jung was able to dodge the blow with an athletic slide.

“When I slid in, I thought I should get as low to the ground as possible,” Jung said. “That's what I thought. I fell on the plate, didn't feel a hit, and thought, 'Oh yeah, now I'm going to get pumped up.' I was really excited and tried to cheer the guys on afterward.”

He rolled out of his sideways slide, jumped up, and flexed his muscles in celebration. He left his helmet behind and hopped to the dugout, where he was greeted with high-fives from his teammates and coaches.

“It was really an amazing display of athleticism,” Torkelson said.

The successful defeat gave the Tigers a 4-1 lead.

“He's an emotional player, and he's young,” Hinch said of Jung, a 23-year-old who made his MLB debut in mid-August. “He's trying to learn. I put him in different roles. He's not used to not playing. He's not used to being at bat once or twice. One thing I know about Jace is that if you put him in the game, he's going to fight the other side – not physically, but competitively – and do his best to make it difficult for the opponent. He's a baseball player. I know that's a buzzword, but he's the definition of it.”

[ MUST LISTEN: Make “Days of Roar” your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple,Spotify) ]

Riley Greene hits home runs

The Tigers scored their first run (and tied the game) on an infield single by Jake Rogers in the second inning, but the real damage came in the third inning when three runs were scored.

Before Jung's slide, Riley Greene hit a middle-middle fastball from Marsh for a solo home run, pulling the ball 427 feet into right field with an exit velocity of 112 mph to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead.

Greene has 24 home runs in 128 games.

Tarik Skubal defeats the Royals

Left-hander Tarik Skubal, the favorite for the AL Cy Young Award, allowed one run on three hits and one walk in five innings, recorded seven strikeouts and threw 95 pitches.

All three hits came in the first inning.

“If he breaks down in the first inning or gets too emotional or somehow fails to pitch to Salvy, the game is completely different,” Hinch said. “He's our guy, and we need our guy to do his part, and tonight he did that. He stayed in the fight and continued to pitch well.”

GREAT BATTLE:Can Tigers ace Tarik Skubal overcome his difficulties against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium?

The Royals took a 1-0 lead when Yuli Gurriel hit a hard grounder that Jung couldn't stop at third base, but then Skubal mowed down the Royals in his final four innings.

The 27-year-old saved the best for last, throwing out Pérez on a down-and-in changeup, winning a seven-pitch battle and leaving two runners on the field, and roaring with joy after the strikeout.

“I tried to avoid the big inning,” Skubal said.

Skubal leads the AL with a 2.48 ERA in 30 starts and has an AL-best 17 wins and 221 strikeouts.

BEAU WHITE:When the Tigers' season was at stake, Beau Brieske flashed at 99.5 mph – he just never fails to impress

The Royals cut their deficit to 4-2 with Pérez's RBI single against right-handed reliever Brenan Hanifee in the eighth inning, but left-handed reliever Sean Guenther took the lead and immediately caused a double play, followed by an inning-ending flyout.

The combination of Guenther and right-handed reliever Will Vest shut down the Royals in the ninth inning and ended the game.

“I think there's complete confidence everywhere that we're going to go out there and make the throws,” Skubal said, “and that we're going to throw the right pitch at the right time and get the right result. You can see all the young guys stepping up and doing it and having immediate success. The moment never gets too big and it's a lot of fun to watch.”

Detroit Tigers beat Kansas City Royals 4-2 and are half a game ahead

You may also like...

Recent Posts

Detroit Tigers beat Kansas City Royals 4-2 and are half a game ahead

You may also like...

CCI warns employees about unauthorized media interaction and information leaks

Prime Video officially orders two seasons of “Scarpetta”

Stabbing leads to arrest for attempted murder in Palm Springs –

Recent Posts