Javier Baez belted a two-run homer and Eduardo Rodriguez tossed 6 2/3 scoreless innings to lift the Detroit Tigers to a 10-3 victory over the visiting Kansas City Royals on Thursday afternoon.
Detroit (63-92), which has won six in a row and eight times in nine games, completed a three-game sweep and won 10 of 19 games in the season series versus Kansas City (63-93).
Rodriguez (5-5) allowed five hits and struck out three while collecting his second straight victory.
Baez had two hits and two runs, while Tucker Barnhart supplied three hits, a run and two RBIs. Willi Castro blasted his eighth homer before departing early due to a hamstring strain, which the team later said ended his season.
Ryan O’Hearn had a two-run double for Kansas City. Starter Jonathan Heasley (4-9) gave up five runs (four earned) in 4 2/3 innings.
Castro put the Tigers in front during the bottom of the second when he clubbed a Heasley changeup over the right-center field wall.
The Royals left three runners stranded in the first two innings and two more in the third when Edward Olivares flied out with Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino at the corners.
Detroit added to its lead in the fifth inning.
Barnhart reached on a walk and moved up on a wild pitch. First baseman Pasquantino booted Akil Baddoo’s grounder, allowing Barnhart to score. Riley Greene then ripped a double to right center and Baddoo scored all the way from first.
The next batter, Baez, smoked an 0-2 curveball from Heasley over the left-field wall for his 16th homer to make it 5-0.
Barnhart added an RBI single in the sixth inning by driving in Jeimer Candelario, who reached on a double.
Rodriguez issued three walks in the seventh but kept the Royals off the board with the help of a double play.
Barnhart’s run-scoring double highlighted a four-run seventh that increased Detroit’s advantage to 10 runs.
A double by O’Hearn off Jason Foley ended the shutout bid during the Royals’ three-run eighth inning. Nate Eaton capped the scoring with an RBI double.
–Field Level Media
