Kansas City – This one would’ve left a mark. The Tigers had leads of 3-0 and 5-3. They had base runners in every inning but one. They drew eight walks and had 11 hits. And yet, against a Kansas City Royals team that was 20 games under .500, the game was tied 5-5 after nine innings.
Javier Báez made sure it was a happy clubhouse. With the bases loaded in the 10th inning, he lined a first-pitch fastball from reliever Scott Barlow over the head of left fielder Nick Pratto, clearing the bases and sending the Tigers to an 8-5 win at Kauffman Stadium.
The ball left Báez’s bat with an exit velocity of 111 mph. It was Báez’s third hit of the game and the first two hits had a combined exit velocity of 111 mph. Neither of the first two hits left the infield.
Alex Lange, who grew up just outside of Kansas City, was asked to work two innings with the game tied 5-5. He pitched a clean eighth inning and stranded a lead-off walk at second base in the ninth. His scoreless innings streak is at 16.2 innings
The left the 10th to Jose Cisnero. He walked the first batter he faced, which, with the free runner, brought the tying run to the plate. He struck out Pratto and Vinnie Pasquantino. That brought Salvador Perez to the plate. Perez flew out to end the game.
Royals right-hander Brady Singer has pretty much owned the Tigers in his young career. He came in 6-0 in 10 starts with a 2.44 ERA. He hasn’t been that guy much this year, as his bloated 7.09 ERA, his .903 opponent OPS and incomprehensible 60% hard-hit rate would attest.
And he certainly wasn’t that guy Monday. He threw 37 pitches in a three-run first, gave up a two-run homer to Matt Vierling in the third and didn’t finish four innings.
His stat line was crowded – five runs, seven hits, four walks. It was the sixth time he’s allowed five or more runs in a start.
But his offense bailed him out.
Three regrettable pitches cost Tigers’ starter Michael Lorenzen five runs and the Tigers a pair of leads.
He threw a 1-2 changeup to Vinnie Pasquantino in the first inning. The pitch stayed in the middle of the plate and it looked like Pasqauntino was sitting on it. He hit it 424 feet, a two-run homer.
Two pitches later, he threw a slider down but over the middle of the plate to Salvador Perez. That one traveled 419 feet, back-to-back home runs.
The Tigers’ three-run lead lasted three batters, 10 pitches.
From there, Lorenzen settled in. He set down 11 of the next 12 batters and took a 5-3 lead into the fifth. Nicky Lopez led off the inning with a triple and Jackie Bradley, Jr., followed with a two-run homer to left field.
Lorenzen had just beaten Bradley, with back-to-back 96-mph fastballs. But he came back with a slider and Bradley, barreled it up. Tie ballgame.
The veteran Bradley had quite a game. He made two stellar catches in center field that saved three runs. With two on and two out in the second inning, Spencer Torkelson drove one into the gap in right-center. Bradley was shading Torkelson to pull and the ball left the bat with an exit velocity of 104 mph.
Bradley tracked it and caught it two steps in front of the wall.
He took an RBI double away from Zack Short in the seventh, racing back to the wall to snare Short’s 406-foot missile. The expected batting average on that ball was .660.
Vierling had three hits and knocked in four runs for the Tigers. He’s 8-for-16 in his last four games with a pair of home runs.
The Tigers worked eight walks for the second straight game. They hadn’t done that since 2016.
chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @cmccosky