ROYALS WHIP TIGERS

The Kansas City Royals defeated the Detroit 3-2 today snapping Detroit's three-game winning streak in a heartbreaking late-inning bullpen collapse at Comerica Park whipping the Tigers at home.

Another Bullpen Heartbreak at Comerica

This one stings for Tigers fans. We had the momentum, a three-game win streak, and a stellar performance on the mound from Casey Mize. Mize was absolutely locked in, carving up the Royals for six innings while allowing just three hits and a single run. He left the game with a 2-1 lead, perfectly positioned to log a well-deserved win.

Then the seventh inning arrived, and things unraveled. Reliever Kyle Finnegan stepped onto the mound and immediately served up a 401-foot lead-off blast to Salvador Perez. Not only did it tie the game 2-2, but we also had to watch Perez break George Brett’s 40-year-old franchise record with his 318th career home run on our own turf.

The fatal blow came in the top of the ninth. Jacob Waguespack surrendered a solo shot to Nick Loftin, putting the Royals ahead 3-2.

The Hao-Yu Lee Show

If there is one massive silver lining to take away from July 25, it is Hao-Yu Lee. The young second baseman single-handedly carried the Tigers' offense.2nd Inning: Lee ripped an RBI double to right field, scoring Riley Greene to tie the game 1-1.4th Inning: Lee absolutely crushed a 402-foot solo home run to left field off Michael Wacha, giving Detroit the temporary 2-1 lead.

With those two hits, Lee extended his career-best hitting streak to 10 games. He accounts for all of our offense right now, and he is quickly turning into appointment television.

Twisted Knives in the Ninth

The bottom of the ninth gave us a massive surge of hope, only to rip it away. Riley Greene led off the frame with a sharp single. Naturally, Royals manager Matt Quatraro pulled the ultimate script-writer move and brought in former Tigers closer Alex Lange to shut us down. Lange struck out Lee, but Zach McKinstry followed up with a clutch single to right, putting runners on the corners with only one out. Comerica Park was ready to explode. 

Instead, Lange struck out Matt Vierling. Then, Spencer Torkelson stepped up to pinch-hit, only to pop out harmlessly to the catcher to end the ballgame. Watching a former Tiger celebrate a save against us at home is a tough pill to swallow.

The Tigers drop to 50-55 on the season. We flush this one down the toilet and look ahead to Sunday’s series finale, where Framber Valdez takes the mound to help us secure the series victory.

TIGERS DROP RUBBER MATCH TO ASTROS

The Detroit Tigers dropped the series rubber match tonight to the Houston Astros with a 4-2 final score. Despite an encouraging return from the injured list by Casey Mize, the Tigers' offense was largely held in check during the June 17 game, ultimately conceding the Daikin Park series to the Astros. 

The Recap: Mize's Return and Cold Bats 

Wednesday’s matinee started with excitement as we welcomed Casey Mize back to the mound. While it was fantastic to see him back in action, the Astros managed to scratch across a few runs, highlighted by a solo home run from Jeremy Peña in the third inning. Houston's starter Peter Lambert had our lineup in a bind all afternoon. Through seven innings, Lambert surrendered only two hits, making it a frustrating day at the plate for Detroit.

The Spark: McGonigle and Carpenter Go Yard

The Tigers didn't go down without a fight! Showing off the exciting power brewing in our farm system, Kevin McGonigle crushed his sixth home run of the year, sending one deep into the left-field seats off Astros closer Josh Hader. Kerry Carpenter also homered to left center earlier in the game, providing the only other offense of the day.

Looking Forward

Dropping a series is never nice, but seeing the young guys like McGonigle flash their power against one of the league's toughest relievers is a major silver lining. The Tigers (now 30-44) will be looking to shake this one off and bounce back as the season rolls on.