Detroit rookie Christin Stewart blasted a grand slam with two outs in the seventh to help catapult the host Tigers to a 7-4 win over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday.
With the Tigers trailing 4-3, Stewart hit a 2-2 changeup from Royals reliever Wily Peralta that glanced off of the foul pole in right field and gave the Tigers a 7-4 lead.
With one swing, Stewart matched his RBI total for the entire season.
Tigers relievers Joe Jimenez and Shane Greene shut the door in the final two innings to help Detroit win its fourth straight game. Greene worked a perfect ninth, with one strikeout, and has converted all six of his save opportunities this season.
Relief pitcher Victor Alcantara (2-0) gave up one run in the seventh but picked up the win.
The Royals have dropped five straight since starting the year 2-0.
Trailing 2-0 after five innings, the Royals stormed back via the home run.
Whit Merrifield blasted a solo home run to left in the top of the sixth to make it 2-1 Detroit, then Jorge Soler hit a solo shot to left in the seventh to tie the game at 2.
With one out in the seventh, Hunter Dozier hit a 2-run home run down the left-field line to give the Royals a 4-2 lead.
But the Tigers rallied in the bottom of the seventh against reliever Kevin McCarthy (0-1), cutting the lead to 4-3 on an RBI single by Nick Castellanos before Stewart's grand slam against Peralta.
The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second thanks to a two-out error with the bases loaded by Royals first basemen Frank Schwindel, then went up 2-0 in the fifth on an RBI single by Miguel Cabrera that drove in Castellanos.
Tigers starter Matt Moore left the game after tossing three scoreless innings with what the team called a right knee sprain.
--Field Level Media
Kansas City | Detroit | |
Jorge Lopez | Player | Matt Moore |
No Decision | W/L | No Decision |
6.0 | IP | 3.0 |
3 | Strikeouts | 3 |
5 | Hits | 1 |
1.50 | ERA | 0.00 |
Kansas City | Detroit | |
Alex Gordon | Player | Miguel Cabrera |
1 | Hits | 3 |
0 | RBI | 1 |
0 | HR | 0 |
1 | TB | 3 |
.333 | Avg | .750 |
Team | Hits | HR | TB | Avg | LOB | K | RBI | BB | SB | Errors |
Kansas City | 6 | 3 | 15 | .182 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Detroit | 10 | 1 | 16 | .303 | 21 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1 |