KANSAS CITY ROYALS NOTES:

MOTOWN MELTDOWN: The Royals suffered their Majors-most 26th blown lead loss of the season in last night’s 6-4 defeat in Detroit, in which they blew a 4-run lead…the Royals scored 3 runs in the 4th inning on a pair of home runs, including a 442-ft. solo shot by Bobby Witt Jr.—the 2nd longest of his career—and a 2-run homer by Maikel Garcia…the lead grew to 4 runs in the top of the 5th, when Nick Pratto doubled and scored on an error…Detroit got on the board in the bottom half, but Jordan Lyles took a 4-1 lead into the 7th, when back-to-back hits to begin the frame put runners at second and third, forcing Lyles’ exit in favor of Taylor Clarke, who allowed both inherited runners to score on a 2-run single by Jake Rogers, and surrendered the lead four batters later on a 2-out, 3-run home run by Kerry Carpenter…the Royals stranded the tying run in the 8th inning and went 1-2-3 in the 9th, falling to 2-14 in June and 1-12 since the start of the last road trip.

Lyles recorded the 1st quality start by a Royal since June 9 and the club’s 2nd quality start in its last 28 games…despite exiting with a 4-1 lead, Lyles remains 0-11 this season and the Royals are 0-15 in his starts, the longest such losing streak to begin a season in AL/NL history, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

DUAL THREAT: Bobby Witt Jr. flashed his power and speed in last night’s game, giving Kansas City a lead with his 442-ft. home run in the 4th inning, before stealing his 22nd base of the season in the 5th…the homer was his 12th of the year and his 22 steals rank 4th in the Majors…it also marked his 6th career game with a homer and a steal, which is tied with Francisco Lindor and Thairo Estrada for the most in the Majors since the start of last season…half of Bobby’s 6 such games have come already this season, matching Lindor, Juan Soto, Corbin Carroll and Ronald Acuña Jr. for the most games with a home run and a stolen base in 2023.

After batting .222 (26-for-117) in March/April and .234 (26-for-111) in May, he’s batting .323 (20-for-62) in 16 games this month with 5 walks for a .373 on-base percentage, and 4 extra-base hits for an .825 OPS.

LEADS LOST: The Royals blew a 4-0 lead in last night’s 6-4 defeat in Detroit to begin this 7-game road trip, while marking their 26th blown lead loss of the year, most in the Majors ahead of the Cardinals (24), White Sox (23) and A’s (23)…the Royals have held a lead in 30 of their last 43 games (69.8%) since the start of May, but they’re 12-31 during that stretch with 18 blown lead losses, including 8 blown lead losses in 16 games this month.

The Royals 26 blown lead losses are nearly three-fourths of the way to matching their 36 from last season.

The Royals are 5-20 when scoring in the 1st inning with 10 consecutive losses—including such defeats in 3 of their last 8 games—and have not won when scoring in the 1st frame since May 10 vs. the White Sox.

On the flip side, Kansas City’s 7 comeback wins are the fewest in the Majors, 3 fewer than the next-closest team, the Cardinals (10), and 18 fewer than the Angels and Orioles, who lead the Majors with 25 comebacks.

CLOSE CALLS: Including last night’s 6-4 loss, the Royals are now 12-35 (.255) this season in games decided by 3 runs or fewer…their 35 losses are by far the most in the Majors, 6 more than the Nationals (18-29)…in fact, each of the Royals last 7 games have been decided by 3 runs or fewer, but they are 1-6 during this stretch.

Although the losses are adding to the frustration of what’s becoming a disappointing 2023 season for the Royals, the tight games may be a precursor to future success…as first pointed out by Dave Holtzman last week, of the five teams with the most losses last season in games decided by 3 runs or fewer, four of them find themselves in contention as we near the halfway point of the 2023 season.

Those four teams include the Rangers, who have the 2nd-best record in the Majors (45-27); the Pirates, who are 3 games out of 1st place in the NL Central after losing 100 games in 2022; the Marlins, who have the 3rd-best record in the NL (42-31); and the D-backs, whose 44-29 record leads the NL West.

TRIP TRACKER: The Royals began a 7-game trip last night with their first visit to Comerica Park this season… the Royals lost 2 of 3 to the Tigers last month at Kauffman Stadium, which marked their third consecutive series loss to Detroit dating back to last season, a stretch in which they’re now 2-8…that includes being swept in 3 games when they last visited Detroit last Sept. 27-29, and the Royals are seeking their first series win over the Tigers since last Sept. 2-4, when they won 2 of 3 here in Detroit…the Royals went 9-10 vs. the Tigers last season, which marked just the second season series loss in the last eight seasons (since 2015), along with 2019 (9-10).

The Royals are 9-25 on the road this season including 8 consecutive losses—in which they’ve been outscored 49-19 (-30)—their longest such drought since a 12-game road skid from June 23-July 10, 2021.

NO-HIT WONDERS: Royals rookie Austin Cox pitched a scoreless 7th inning on Sunday vs. the top of the Angels lineup, and has now faced 28 batters without allowing a hit over 5 scoreless outings (8.2 IP) to begin his Major League career…that includes 4 plate appearances vs. Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout over the weekend, who combined to go 0-for-4 with 3 strikeouts against Cox…he’s retired 25 of his 28 batters, allowing just 3 walks, and the 28 batters faced without allowing a hit is the 5th-longest streak to begin a career in the Expansion Era (since 1961), according to Elias…it’s four batters shy of matching the longest such streak, shared by Mark Rogers and Joel McKeon, who each faced 32 batters before allowing a hit in 2010 and 1986, respectively.

Cox isn’t the only Royal throwing up zeros in the hits column, as three pitchers for the Royals Dominican Summer League Gold team—pitchers Junior Sánchez (6.0 IP), Jesús Leon (2.0 IP) and Fraynel Nova (1.0 IP)—combined for a no-hitter yesterday in a 2-0 win vs. the DSL Phillies White team…the trio combined for 4 strikeouts and 3 walks, as DSL Royals Gold improved to 5-6.

TONIGHT’S STARTERS: LHP DANIEL LYNCH (0-3, 5.79)
DANIEL LYNCH is making his 5th start of the year and 47th of his career tonight vs. Detroit…it’s his 7th career start vs. the Tigers…Lynch, 26, was selected by the Royals in the 1st round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Virginia.

LONGBALLS LEAD TO LOSS: Lynch suffered his 3rd straight loss in Kansas City’s 7-4 defeat vs. Cincinnati at Kauffman Stadium last Wednesday, in which he allowed 7 runs on 7 hits (4 HR) and 2 walks in 7.0 innings, with 3 strikeouts…Lynch retired nine of his first 10 batters through 3.0 innings, allowing only a solo home run to Spencer Steer in the 2nd inning…but he allowed 2 hits to begin the 4th, including an RBI double by Jonathan India…down 2-1 entering the 5th frame, Stuart Fairchild swatted a 1-out solo homer and with 2 outs, Matt McLain hit a 3-run homer before India followed with a solo shot for back-to-back home runs…from that point on, Lynch retired seven of his last eight batters and completed a season-high 7.0 innings.

7.0 IP matched the 2nd-longest start of his career, (8.0 IP, July 25, 2021 vs. DET).

His 4 homers allowed set a new career high, passing his previous mark of 3 HR (done twice in 2022)…he’s the second Royal to yield at least 4 HR in a start this season (also Brady Singer on April 14 vs. Atlanta) and he snapped a 15-game streak in which Royals starters allowed no more than 1 home run.

SOUTHPAW STORY: Lynch has faced 1,014 batters in his 46 career starts, but only 127 of them have been left-handed batters (12.5%), a group that he held in check through his first 33 starts, in which lefties were 11-for-61 (.180) with only 2 extra-base hits for a .246 slugging percentage…the tide has turned in his last 13 starts, during which left handers have gone 20-for-51 (.392) with 5 extra-base hits for a .986 OPS.

Lynch did not face a left-handed batter in his most recent start last Wednesday vs. the Reds, as they batted eight right handers and one switch-hitter, and he has not faced a left-handed hitter in 13 of his 46 career starts (28.3%).

Only 2 of the 35 HR he’s allowed have been hit by lefties: Boston’s Alex Verdugo on Aug. 6, 2022 and Minnesota’s Nick Gordon on Sept. 15, 2022.

On the other hand, right handers are hitting .291 (230-for-791) with 34 HR in his career, including a .287 clip (135-for-470) and 19 HR last year, and a .247 average (20-for-81) with 5 home runs so far this season.

3 STRIKEOUTS FROM HISTORY: Daniel enters tonight with 197 strikeouts in 46 starts…with 3 strikeouts tonight, he would join Bill Butler (211) as the only two left handers in Royals history to reach 200 strikeouts in 47 appearances or fewer.

FIRST THING’S FIRST: Daniel surrendered 79 runs in 27 starts (131.2 IP) last year, and 19 of those runs came in the 1st inning (24.1%)…this trend was an improvement from 2021, when he allowed 20 1st-inning runs in 15 starts, accounting for 43.5% of the 46 runs he allowed for the season…but Lynch’s 1st-inning woes showed up again 2 starts ago on June 9 in Baltimore, where he allowed a leadoff home run to Austin Hays…of the 142 runs he’s allowed in 46 career starts, 45 of those runs have come in the 1st inning, in which he has an 8.08 ERA (41 ER in 45.2 IP)… but from the 2nd inning on in his career, he owns a 4.67 ERA (92 ER in 177.1 IP).

ROAD TO RECOVERY: Lynch was returned from his rehab assignment and reinstated from the 15-day Injured List on May 28, after missing the first 53 games of the season due to a rotator cuff strain…his rehab process took him all over the country, as he made 2 starts at Extended Spring Training in Surprise, Ariz., in which he pitched 5.0 innings with 9 strikeouts, before being promoted to Double-A Northwest Arkansas, where he made 1 start on May 2 vs. Wichita and struck out 6 batters in 2.1 innings of work…from there, he joined Triple-A Omaha, where he made 4 starts and combined to go 2-0 with a 3.50 ERA (7 ER in 18.0 IP) with 18 strikeouts to just 3 walks.

All stops included, Lynch recorded 25.1 innings and struck out 33 batters with just 4 walks across 7 rehab appearances from April 23-May 23.

DETROIT TIGERS NOTES:

TIGERS USE BIG SEVENTH INNING TO RALLY FOR 6-4 WIN: The Tigers scored five runs in the seventh inning to rally for a 6-4 win over the Royals last night. Kerry Carpenter had the big blow with a go-ahead, three-run homer. Jake Rogers had a pair of hits, including a two-run single, while Miguel Cabrera went 2×4. Zach McKinstry added a double and a RBI. Reese Olson started for Detroit, throwing 6.0 innings and allowing four runs, three earned, on six hits with a walk and eight strikeouts. Tyler Alexander worked 2.0 scoreless innings with four strikeouts in relief to pick up the win, while Alex Lange threw a perfect ninth for his 11th save.

KC MASTERPIECE: Kerry Carpenter put the Tigers in front last night with a three-run homer in the seventh inning, his sixth of the season. It marked his third go-ahead homer in the seventh inning-or-later this season. Since returning from the injured list on June 9, Carpenter is hitting .395/.415/.605 with two doubles, two home runs and five RBI in 11 games.

MULTI-HIT MIGGY: Miguel Cabrera had a pair of hits in last night’s game, recording the 885th multi-hit game of his career, tying Wade Boggs for the 15th most in MLB history. Cabrera has hit safely in nine of his last 12 games, over which he is hitting .395/.444/.632 with six doubles, a home run and five RBI. With two hits last night, Cabrera now has 3,118 in his career, 23 knocks away from tying Tony Gwynn for 20th on the MLB all-time hits list.

GETTING OFFENSIVE: The Tigers scored six runs in last night’s game, marking the eighth time in the last nine games Detroit has scored five-or-more runs. After hitting .157/.229/.264 with 14 runs scored in the first eight games of the month, Detroit has slashed .285/.336/.509 with 50 runs scored in its last nine contests.

TIGERS AND ROYALS: The Tigers and Royals continue their season series tonight. Detroit has won three of the first four meetings against Kansas City this season. The Tigers went 10-9 against the Royals last season, including a 5-4 record at Comerica Park.

AGAINST THE AL CENTRAL: The Tigers continue divisional play tonight against the Royals. Detroit is 13-8 against American League Central teams so far this season, going 3-4 vs. Chicago (AL),4-2 vs. Cleveland, 3-1 vs. Kansas City and 3-1 vs. Minnesota.

AT COMERICA PARK: The Tigers are 1-0 on their current six-game homestand, which includes three games vs. Kansas City (1-0) and three games vs. Minnesota (June 23-25). Detroit is 16- 18 at Comerica Park this season. As a team, the Tigers are hitting .247/.320/.397 at home, while the pitching staff has a 4.79 ERA (312.0IP/166ER).

TIGERS ON THE IL:

• OF Akil Baddoo (right quad strain, 10-day IL on June 10)
• RHP Beau Brieske (right upper arm discomfort, 60-day IL on March 30, retroactive to March 27)
• RHP Alex Faedo (right middle finger discomfort, 15-day IL on June 3, retroactive to May 31)
• OF Riley Greene (left fibula stress reaction, 10-day IL on May 31)
• RHP Matt Manning (right foot fracture, 60-day IL on April 12)
• OF Austin Meadows (anxiety, 60-day IL on April 8, retroactive to April 7)
• RHP Casey Mize (right elbow sprain, 60-day IL on February 17)
• RHP Freddy Pacheco (right elbow sprain, 60-day IL on March 27)
• LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (left index finger pulley rupture, 15-day IL on May 30, retroactive to May 29)
• LHP Tarik Skubal (left elbow strain, 60-day IL on March 14)
• RHP Spencer Turnbull (neck discomfort, 60-day IL on May 12, retroactive to May 7)
• RHP Trey Wingenter (right biceps tendinitis, 60-day IL on April 22, retroactive to April 19)

TONIGHT’S TIGERS STARTING PITCHER

21 Michael Lorenzen • 2-4, 4.23 ERA (66.0IP/31ER)

• Lorenzen will make his 12th start of the season tonight vs. Kansas City.
• Took the loss in his last start on Wednesday in the second game of the doubleheader vs. Atlanta, allowing six runs on nine hits with two walks and three strikeouts in 6.0 innings.
• Has faced the Royals just twice in his career and has a 0-0 record with a 6.75 ERA (6.2IP/5ER) and five strikeouts…made a start against Kansas City earlier this season on May 22, taking a no decision after giving up five runs on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts in 5.2 innings…in eight career appearances, including seven starts at Comerica Park, Lorenzen has a 3-2 record with a 4.19 ERA (43.0IP/20ER) and 26 strikeouts.
• Among American League pitchers with at least 60.0 innings pitched this season, he ranks 10th with 2.05 walks per 9.0 innings.
• Made five starts during May, posting a 2-1 record with a 1.95 ERA (32.1IP/7ER) and 20 strikeouts…among qualified Major League pitchers in May, he ranked tied for sixth in ERA (1.95) and ninth in WHIP (0.87).