Kansas City @ Detroit preview
Comerica Park
Last Meeting ( Apr 13, 2010 ) Kansas City 5, Detroit 6
Things were moving along smoothly for the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday. Kansas City took a 5-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning and starting pitcher Brian Bannister was hurling a gem.
Enter the Kansas City bullpen and disaster followed. The Royals’ leaky pen blew their fourth save of the young season and suffered a 6-5 loss. The two teams meet again today (1:05 ET) in the series finale at Comerica Park.
Bannister threw just 93 pitches before giving way to Roman Colon with one out and a run in the seventh inning. By the time the inning was over, the Tigers scored six runs in the inning on a single, four doubles and three walks issued by a quartet of Royal hurlers.
Aside from a start from Gil Meche, who came off the disabled list to pitch and was hammered by the Red Sox on Sunday, the Royals starters have been solid all season.
The bullpen, however, has been a different story. Buoyed by closer Joakim Soria (30 saves in 2009) the Kansas City relief staff was supposed to be one of the team’s strengths but it has allowed 23 earned runs in 26 innings.
Trying to bridge the gap to Soria has been the biggest problem. John Parrish has been the lone bright spot in that role. Parrish has not allowed a base runner in five appearances on the season, but he pitched two innings in Monday’s 10-5 Kansas City win and was not available for Tuesday’s debacle.
Offense has not been a problem for the Royals, who trail only the Tigers in AL batting average. Jose Guillen continued his power surge, belting his fourth home run in the past three games and is batting .312 on the season. Kansas City has 28 hits in the past two games.
Rick Porcello makes his second start of the season today for the Tigers. Detroit’s first-round pick in the 2007 amateur draft went 15-9 in his rookie season last year.
Porcello, who finished third in the 2009 American League Rookie of the Year race, beat Cleveland in his first start of the season, allowing two runs in five innings in a 5-2 victory.
Tigers leadoff hitter Austin Jackson will get the day off. Jackson is batting .306 and has led off in every game this season. Brandon Inge has hit in all eight games this season.