DETROIT (AP) — Mike Minor held Detroit hitless until the fifth inning, and Andrew Benintendi and Ryan O’Hearn homered off Casey Mize to lift the Kansas City Royals to a 6-2 victory over the Tigers on Friday night.
Robbie Grossman went deep for Detroit in the fifth, but by then the Tigers were trailing 6-0 after another rough start for Mize. The top pick in the 2018 draft earned his first big league win earlier this month when he held Houston scoreless for seven innings, but since then Mize (1-2) has allowed 11 runs in two outings against Oakland and Kansas City.
Mize yielded six runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Minor (2-1) allowed two runs and four hits in 5 2/3 innings with two walks and nine strikeouts. Detroit didn’t have a hit until Jeimer Candelario doubled to lead off the bottom of the fifth. Grossman hit a two-run shot later that inning.
Detroit has lost seven of eight.
Benintendi opened the scoring for the AL Central-leading Royals with a solo homer in the second, then left his feet to make a spectacular diving catch in left-center field to retire Wilson Ramos in the bottom of the inning.
O’Hearn made it 2-0 in the fourth with his home run. He was recalled prior to the game after the Royals optioned outfielder Kyle Isbel to their alternate site following Wednesday’s game.
Kansas City added four runs in the fifth. Nicky Lopez hit an RBI groundout, Whit Merrifield hit a run-scoring single and Jorge Soler doubled home two runs.
Detroit’s Zack Short singled in the sixth for his first major league hit. He narrowly missed a home run during that at-bat when his drive to left went foul.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Tigers: Manager A.J. Hinch said DH Miguel Cabrera (left biceps strain) could return Saturday or Sunday.
UP NEXT
Detroit sends Matthew Boyd (2-1) to the mound Saturday to face Kansas City’s Brady Singer (0-2).
